


The Moments Between

by emeraldgirl503



Category: Lizzie Bennet Diaries, Pride and Prejudice & Related Fandoms
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-11
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-15 11:13:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 27,873
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28687686
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emeraldgirl503/pseuds/emeraldgirl503
Summary: Starts at episode 97. Lizzie Bennet and William Darcy are together now, and sharing glimpses of their life on Lizzie's videos. But what happens in all the moments in between?
Relationships: Gigi Darcy & William Darcy, Jane Bennet & Lizzie Bennet, Lizzie Bennet & Charlotte Lu, Lizzie Bennet & Lydia Bennet, Lizzie Bennet/William Darcy
Comments: 16
Kudos: 62





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I recently rediscovered and rewatched the entirety of The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, and though I haven't written fic in a while and I'm more than a little rusty, I just couldn't help it. They're too cute, and I needed more fluff. All the fluff.
> 
> Also, I'm rating it M pre-emptively because I'm probably going to try my hand at some smut in later chapters. The first chapter is completely PG, however.

William Darcy was a successful businessman. He could stride into any crowded conference room and immediately take command. He was confident and self-assured when meeting with investors, clients, and business associates. His reputation for being cool and collected under pressure was well known in his professional circle. He had walked into the offices of innumerable high-powered CEOs without hesitation. A simple front door on a quiet suburban street should not have been all that intimidating.

And yet he found himself paralyzed with fear, staring at the dimly lit doorbell. In the early evening light, he was very visible to any passersby, and he worried that if he stood there much longer, a neighbor would call the police. He took a deep breath and pressed the doorbell.

After the longest twenty seconds of his life, the door swung open. Charlotte Lu stared at him in confusion. “Darcy?”

“Charlotte,” he replied. “I didn’t expect… um… hi. Is Lizzie home, perchance?”

Charlotte tilted her head and examined him carefully, seemingly debating whether to let him in. William tried not to squirm under her scrutiny.

“She’s in the den,” Charlotte finally said, stepping back to allow him entry. She gestured to an open doorway to her left. “Right through there.”

“Thank you,” he said sincerely. He took two steps toward the den and turned around. “It was nice to see you, Charlotte.”

Charlotte gave him a polite smile, as if she was still not quite sure if she should trust him. “Nice to see you too, Darcy.”

He nodded and turned back toward the den. “Hey, do you need money for the tip?” Lizzie called out as he reached the doorway.

He took one last deep breath to steel his nerves before he spoke. “Excuse me, Lizzie.”

************

“Um… one sec,” Lizzie said, reluctantly pulling away from William’s lips. She reached toward the camera and quickly turned it off. “Okay. That’s better. Now where were we?” she teased, tangling her hands in William’s tie again.

William’s lips twitched slightly in amusement. “You might have to remind me.”

Lizzie smiled and leaned in, gently pressing her lips to his. He brought his hand up to cup her face, his thumb slowly sliding across her cheekbone as he deepened the kiss. Lizzie kept one hand on his chest, but wrapped the other around his neck to play with the short hair at the base of his scalp. He lowered his hands to her back, pulling her in as close as possible. Lizzie got lost in the feel of his lips against hers, the sound of his ragged breathing when they paused for air, the subtle smell of his probably ridiculously expensive cologne, and she thought she could be perfectly content trading kisses with William Darcy for hours.

Instead, it was only about fifteen minutes before Lydia called out, “I hope you ordered enough food for me, because I’m starving!”

Lizzie and William pulled apart as Lydia reached the door. “What movie -- Darceface?” she said in surprise. “What are you doing here?”

“I… um…” William stammered.

“Lydia! Um… yes, Darcy is here because…” Lizzie started at the same time.

Lydia took in the slightly rumpled state of their hair, the faint lipstick stain on Darcy’s lips, and the flush in her sister’s cheeks. “Oh, I think I know exactly why he’s here,” she snickered. “So, finally made your move, huh, Darceinator?”

William looked completely lost for words, so Lizzie jumped in. “Lydia, leave William alone.”

Lydia wandered over to the couch and took a seat, completely unfazed by Lizzie’s dark stares. “Oh, I’m sure  _ William  _ knows I’m teasing,” she replied. She had every intention of continuing, but she looked over at Darcy and saw he was still struggling to find a response. Normally, that would serve as additional fodder for her, but he  _ was _ the guy who just bought a company to spare her the humiliation of a public sex tape, so Lydia decided to cut him some slack. “I thought you and Charlotte were going to watch a movie for your birthday,” she said, looking at Lizzie.

“Charlotte!” Lizzie exclaimed, jumping up as if to go find her.

“She’s not out there,” Lydia informed her.

Lizzie sat back down and scrambled for her phone. She had two unread text messages waiting for her, both from Charlotte.

_ Charlotte: Stuck around long enough to make sure you wouldn’t need additional distraction, but you seemed plenty distracted, so I let myself out. Call me tomorrow! _

_ Charlotte: By the way, I intercepted the honey walnut shrimp and I’m taking it with me. You already have a birthday treat, so this one is all mine now. _

“I’m sorry for ruining your birthday plans,” William said, looking sheepish. “If I had realized it was your birthday, I would have postponed my visit.”

Lizzie smiled at him softly. “I’m glad you didn’t.” Her right hand drifted back up to toy with his tie, and he found himself leaning toward her, his eyes drifting shut…

“Whoa! At least let me get out of the room first!” Lydia called out from the couch. 

William pulled back abruptly as Lizzie blushed slightly. She recovered quickly and looked over at her sister. “Okay, get out.”

“Maybe I should stay. You two seem like you could use a chaperone,” Lydia responded.

“Lydia….” Lizzie warned.

Lydia stood up from the couch. “Fine, I’ll leave. Though you might want to do the same, unless you  _ want  _ Mom to wander by and see you making out with Darcy and start planning your wedding…”

Lizzie groaned. “No, that would be bad.”

“I should go so you and Charlotte can get back to your birthday plans,” William said, starting to stand.

Lizzie quickly grabbed his arm. “No, don’t leave,” she pleaded, slightly embarrassed by how desperate she sounded.

William’s face softened. “But you had dinner plans with Charlotte,” he said quietly. “It’s your birthday.”

“And I want to spend it with you,” Lizzie said earnestly.

Lydia made a fake gagging noise. “Get a room,” she called over her shoulder as she exited the den.

Lizzie blushed again and William shifted uncomfortably. Lizzie started nervously fiddling with his tie, not quite making eye contact. There was a slightly awkward silence while both of them tried to figure out what to say.

“Would you--” William started.

“We should--” Lizzie began at the same time.

They both nervously smiled at each other.

“You can--”

“You should--”

Lizzie dropped her forehead against his chest and let out a little laugh when they both started speaking simultaneously again. William let his hand travel up her back to play with the ends of her hair. Lizzie murmured in contentment and wrapped her arms around his waist, tucking her head under his chin. He loosely wound a lock of her hair around his fingers, and she snuggled closer. They sat in comfortable silence for a moment before Lizzie lifted her head. “Okay, as nice as this is, Lydia had a point. If we don’t get out of here soon, my mom is going to find us, so unless you want to start picking out china patterns…” she trailed off.

“That sounds a bit premature,” William replied with a small smile. “I believe it is traditional to go on at least one date first.”

“Why, William Darcy, are you asking me out?” Lizzie teased.

“Yes, I believe I am. Would you do me the honor of joining me for dinner, Miss Bennet?” 

Lizzie pretended to fan herself with her hand. “Oh my, this is all so sudden,” she drawled, using the same accent she used when imitating her mother. “I just don’t think it would be proper to accept a date this late in the evening, even if the offer comes from a very handsome gentleman.”

“I apologize for being so forward, Miss Bennet, but your charm has overpowered my usual sense of propriety.”

Lizzie smiled, happy to see that he was comfortable enough to play along. “Well, I suppose since we were just making out, we can probably abandon any attempts at propriety.”

William gave her a gentle smile. “Is that a yes?”

“Yes, Mr. Darcy, that’s a yes,” she replied. They both sat there grinning at each other until Lizzie’s phone went off.

_ Lydia: You need to leave. Like now. Mom’s talking about checking in on the birthday girls, and I can’t distract her much longer. _

“Okay, we need to go. Mom alert,” Lizzie said, standing up and grabbing William’s hand. She slung her purse over her shoulder and pulled him to the front door as quickly as possible. When they got outside, Lizzie made a beeline for his rental car, which was the only vehicle parked on the street in front of their house. Luckily William’s legs were long, so he was able to keep up with her as she frantically cut across the lawn.

“May I ask where we’re going?” William said quietly.

Lizzie shrugged. “You’re the one who asked me out,” she replied distractedly as she texted Lydia back.

**_Lizzie: Thank you for covering for me. You’re the best. I owe you one._ **

“Yes, but you’re the one who dragged me out of the house, quite literally, so I assumed you had a destination in mind,” he responded as he opened the passenger door for her.

“Food?” she asked as she slid onto the passenger seat, smiling at Lydia’s text reply.

_ Lydia: Yeah you do. You can repay me with all the date details. And some drinks. Really fancy expensive ones that I can’t afford. _

_ Lydia: Oh, and I’ve already got a lie planned if you and Darcy get too busy to come home tonight _ ;) ;) ;)

“Food sounds good, but it doesn’t give me a very specific destination,” William replied as he settled into the driver’s seat.

Lizzie slid her phone back into her purse. “What are you in the mood for?”

He shook his head. “No, it’s your birthday. You decide.”

“How do you feel about taking a little drive? There’s this really good Italian place about 45 minutes away. The food is delicious, and it’s got a romantic atmosphere,” she said, reaching out to touch his hand resting on the gearshift. “Plus, it’s far enough away that my mom’s gossipy friends are unlikely to be there.”

He flipped his hand over and linked their fingers together before bringing her hand up to his lips for a quick kiss. Lizzie had previously thought the gesture to be a bit ridiculous, but with William, it somehow seemed utterly charming. “Your wish is my command, Lizzie Bennet,” he murmured, and Lizzie felt a slight fluttering in her chest.

William released her hand and passed her his phone. “Could you please put in the address so I know where to go? Unless you know how to get there.”

“It’s probably better to use the GPS. I don’t go there often enough to have memorized the route.” Lizzie tapped the home button to wake up his phone as he started the car. “Oh, it’s locked,” she says.

She started to hand it back to him, planning to use her phone instead, but he interrupted her. “The passcode is Gigi’s birthday. 0513.”

The fluttering in her chest picked up intensity. Somehow, the fact that he used his sister’s birthday for his passcode was the most adorable thing ever. “Wow, already sharing phone passcodes? You move quickly, William Darcy,” she said as she entered the address into Google maps.

“Only with women I really love,” he replied sincerely, and the fluttering intensified even further.

“And how often does that happen?” Lizzie asked, trying to sound like she was teasing rather than extremely curious. Even though she was, in fact, extremely curious.

He smiled over at her as he stopped at a red light. “Wow, already sharing relationship histories? You move quickly too, Lizzie Bennet,” he teased.

“Only with guys who fly across the country to reply to my voicemails,” she retorted. “Now stop dodging the question.”

His smile broadened, making his dimple appear. “Not often.”

“Can you be more specific?”

“Quite infrequently.”

Lizzie groans.

“Extremely rarely.”

“You’re still dodging the question.”

“Am I? I believe I answered it. You asked how often it happens, and I gave you an answer. In fact, I gave you three answers.” He was still smiling, so she knew he was teasing her.

Lizzie scrunched her nose in annoyance. “Fine. Don’t answer. See if I care.”

“At the risk of sounding repetitive, I did give you an answer. It is not my fault if you didn't find it satisfactory. Perhaps you should ask a more specific question if there's a specific answer you're seeking."

"You're impossible," Lizzie sighed. When William flinched slightly beside her, Lizzie panicked. "Sorry. I didn't mean that. I was kidding. It was a bad joke. I'm sorry."

"It's alright, Lizzie. I knew you were teasing."

"Then why did you flinch?"

He shrugged. “Habit. However, I'd like to think I've become better at noticing when you're teasing. After all, I did have 96 videos to learn from.”

“I’m still really sorry about what I said about you in the earlier videos,” she said solemnly.

He took one hand off the steering wheel and reached for hers. “You don’t need to apologize. I acted like a jerk and made a terrible first impression. Your videos helped me see some things about myself that I didn’t particularly like. I realized I needed to change, not only to become someone worthy of your love, but also and more importantly, to become someone worthy of my own.”

“Darcy…” she began softly, before realizing she doesn’t even know what to say. She settled for squeezing his hand tightly, hoping he understood what she was trying to convey.

They sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes before William spoke. “William.”

Lizzie looked over at him in confusion. “Are you talking to yourself?”

He shook his head. “No, it’s a request. Can you call me William? I don’t mind Darcy, but something about the way you say my name…” he trailed off.

She smiled. “I suppose it would be a little weird to refer to you by your last name all the time, now that we’re making out and everything.”

His lips twitched slightly in amusement, but he said nothing.

The GPS interrupted the conversation with an instruction to “keep left at the fork”. William glanced over at his phone, then back at the road. “What fork?” he asked, looking at the road ahead, which had no obvious forks or intersections of any kind.

“Maybe it’s further ahead and we can’t see it?” Lizzie offered optimistically.

“In 1000 feet, keep left at the fork,” the GPS instructed, almost as if replying to Lizzie’s comment.

Lizzie shrugged. “Okay, or the GPS is just confused.”

“Keep left at the fork,” it repeated.

Since there was no other option, William just continued driving straight ahead.

“Recalculating,” the GPS immediately said.

William glanced over at his phone in confusion. “There was nowhere else to go.”

“In three quarters of a mile, turn left,” the GPS replied.

“Well, at least I actually see an intersection ahead this time,” Lizzie said.

William followed the instructions and turned left at the next street. Immediately, the GPS said, “Take the next left.”

The only street ahead on the left was a tiny unlabeled side road. “Surely it can’t mean that one.”

Lizzie peered at the map. “That’s what it says.”

William raised a brow skeptically, but followed the instructions.

“In 500 feet, turn right,” the GPS commanded.

They turned right, and Lizzie burst into laughter. “It’s a dead end,” she commented.

The GPS was undeterred. “In 300 feet, make a U-turn.”

William furrowed his brow. “I do not understand.”

“Make a U-turn,” the GPS repeated.

Lizzie was still laughing as Wliliam rounded the cul-de-sac. “In 300 feet, turn left,” the GPS directed.

“That’s where we came from,” William observed.

Lizzie unclipped the phone from the dashboard cradle and skimmed through the directions. “It’s taking us back to that non-existent fork,” she said, laughing. “It literally just drove us here to turn us around.”

“That makes no sense,” William replied in confusion, turning left off the dead-end road.

“In 500 feet, turn right,” the GPS said.

“I’m just telling you what the phone is telling me,” Lizzie commented.

“Yes, but the phone does not make sense. Why did it turn us around? There was no fork to take,” William replied.

“Apparently your phone disagrees.”

They were back on the main road where they started. “In three quarters of a mile, make a sharp left,” the GPS said.

“Onto the invisible road,” Lizzie finished.

William just looked at the phone in frustration. “That doesn’t make sense,” he repeated.

Lizzie was busy looking at the map. “It looks like there’s another way to get there, but we’d have to backtrack quite a bit. And I don’t know about you, but I’m hungry.”

“I haven’t eaten anything since an early lunch in Chicago,” William replied.

“So like 8 hours ago?” Lizzie asked.

William glanced at the clock. “Closer to ten with the time difference.”

“Okay, so you definitely need food. So I say instead of driving another half hour or so, we just eat somewhere else.”

“Are you sure? It’s your birthday. I don’t mind waiting to eat,” William replied.

Lizzie laughed. “I mind. How do you feel about Indian food?”

“I enjoy Indian food,” he answered.

“Excellent. There’s this really great hole-in-the-wall place in a strip mall about 10 minutes down this road.” Lizzie laughed when she saw the skeptical look on his face. “Don’t be a snob! The food is excellent. The best Indian food in town.”

“Is that just by default?” William asked.

Lizzie pretended to be insulted. “No! There are at least 2 other Indian places I can think of nearby.”

“I stand corrected. Quite a competitive market,” William replied. 

Though he kept a straight face, Lizzie picked up on the subtle hint of sarcasm. She released his hand to punch him playfully in the arm. “Shut up. Not all of us live in major metropolises like San Francisco.”

“I apologize. I was not trying to offend your hometown.” The playful undertone was gone from his voice.

“Hey, it’s fine,” Lizzie said. “I’m just teasing you.” His face still looked too serious, so she reached out to hold his hand. “William, it’s okay.”

William interlaced his fingers with hers. “I do not want to repeat my earlier mistakes and drive you away again. I know I can have elitist tendencies, but I am trying to do better.”

Lizzie leaned over and pressed a kiss to his shoulder. “It’s going to take a lot more to drive me away than that. Now come on. The Indian place is in that plaza up ahead on the right. Let’s go offend your upper-class sensibilities with some delicious Indian food from a tiny hole-in-the-wall restaurant in a small-town strip mall.”

Forty-five minutes later, William was surprised to admit she was right about the food. It actually was incredibly delicious, on par with some of the best Indian restaurants in San Francisco. He never would have expected that from a crowded little restaurant with only a handful of tables.

“I told you so,” Lizzie said triumphantly when he shared his thoughts aloud.

It was close to 10 when they finally finished up their meal. Although William didn’t want to say goodbye to Lizzie, he could feel the long day of meetings in Chicago and the jet lag catching up to him. He offered to drive Lizzie home and was slightly gratified to see she looked disappointed to leave him too. He almost asked her to come back to Netherfield with him, but he didn’t want to move too quickly and scare Lizzie off.

They were most of the way back to Lizzie’s house when she asked, “Wait. Do you have somewhere to stay tonight?”

“Before he moved to New York, Bing gave me a spare key to Netherfield. ‘In case I found myself in the area,’ he said. I guess he was more optimistic than I was at the time that this would work out.”

“Bing and Jane. Ever the optimists,” Lizzie commented. “It would almost be annoying if they weren’t so cute and sweet about it.”

With the light of the passing street lamps, Lizzie could just make out the smile William gave her. “I have to admit, optimism is growing on me.”

“Oh no, is it contagious?” Lizzie teased.

William nodded. “I’m afraid it is. I am sorry to say that you have probably already been infected.”

Lizzie laughed. “So that’s why I’m feeling so hopeful about things this evening.”

“Indeed,” William agreed. “I can’t think of any other possible explanation.”

“No, none at all. I mean, maybe if I had just gone out on an amazing date with an incredible guy, that might do it, but sadly the only possible explanation is some weird infectious disease,” she teased.

“You wound me, Lizzie Bennet,” he replied.

“I’m sorry. Do you want me to kiss it and make it all better?” she asked.

“I certainly will not turn down kisses, if you’re the one offering,” he answered.

She rolled her eyes. “That was cheesy,” she complained, but William saw the smile on her face that belied her words.

Too soon, they pulled up to the curb in front of the Bennet residence. “Normally, I would walk my date to the door, but considering you live with your mother… and your sister, it might be safer for you if I forego that ritual,” William said as he turned off the car.

“Definitely safer,” Lizzie replied, turning toward him in her seat. “Though I hope that doesn’t mean I have to forego the goodnight kiss too.”

William shifted toward her and cupped her face in his hands. “Oh no, that ritual is sacred and must be preserved,” he murmured.

“Oh, good,” she whispered just before he captured her mouth with his.

The goodnight kiss turned into a series of kisses, but eventually William pulled back. “I should let you go before someone in your house notices my car and gets suspicious.”

“I suppose,” Lizzie sighed. “Can I see you tomorrow? Or do you have to go back home?”

William shook his head. “I don’t have any travel plans. I wasn’t sure how tonight was going to go.”

“And how did tonight go?” she teased.

He shrugged. “It was decent enough, I suppose.”

Lizzie laughed and pulled him in for another kiss. “Call me tomorrow?” she asked as she opened the car door.

“Of course,” he replied. “Sleep well, Lizzie Bennet.”

“You too,” she said, getting out of the car.

She was about to shut the door when William called, “Oh, and Lizzie?”

She poked her head back into the car. “Yes?”

“That question you asked earlier? It really is exceedingly rare. Once in a lifetime, in fact.”

Lizzie leaned across the seat and gave him a tender kiss. “You’re wonderful, William Darcy.”

“So are you, Lizzie Bennet.” They shared another quick kiss before Lizzie closed the passenger door and practically floated into the house.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no idea how long this is going to be, and I'm far too scatterbrained to stick to any sort of regular posting schedule. Sorry in advance - I've got a few chapters mostly ready to go that I'll put up soon, but I honestly make no guarantees.
> 
> I'm also not ashamed to admit that I am shallow and driven by attention, so kudos and comments of any variety will almost definitely help keep things coming.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a tiny dash of light smut references toward the end of the chapter, just to warn anyone who might want a warning.

Mr. and Mrs. Bennet typically went to sleep early, so the house was quiet when Lizzie entered. She made her way up the stairs and into her room, shutting the door gently behind her. She barely had time to set her purse on her desk before the door burst open.

“What are you doing here?” Lydia demanded.

“Um… I live here?” Lizzie responded.

“I know that, doofus. But why are you home instead of out getting your freak on with a certain hot rich guy?”

“Getting your freak on? Do people even still say that?” Lizzie mused.

“That’s not an answer!”

Lizzie settled onto her bed. “William was in meetings all day in Chicago and then caught an early evening flight out to get here tonight, so he’s exhausted. And I have to edit a video for tomorrow.”

“Booooring,” Lydia replied, drawing the word out. “Who cares about your dumb videos? Your viewers will totally understand when they find out you were too busy getting busy.”

“Those videos are my thesis project,” Lizzie responded. “I have to care about them if I want to graduate.”

Lydia just made a raspberry sound with her mouth.

“Okay, well, that’s the truth. Plus, we’re not rushing things. This is still new.”

Lydia snorted. “You didn’t seem to have any problem rushing things during that makeout session I interrupted.”

“We were kissing! How is that rushing things?”

“Kissing,” Lydia repeated, putting air quotes around the word. “More like devouring each other’s faces.”

Lizzie picked up a pillow off the bed and threw it at Lydia. “Gross.”

“No, you two are gross,” she replied, throwing the pillow back. “Did you guys at least have a hot, steamy makeout sesh in his car before you came home?”

“What? No. We just went to dinner.”

“Ugh, seriously? When I said you owed me date details, I was expecting something even slightly juicy. Not some boring G-rated crap.” Lydia headed for the door. “You’re going to have to buy me a lot of drinks to make up for this,” she said before pulling Lizzie’s bedroom door closed behind her.

Lizzie rolled her eyes at the door. As much as Lydia had grown the past few months, she was still Lydia. Instead of making Lizzie annoyed, though, it filled her with pride. Her sister was amazingly resilient, and Lizzie was so happy she had the chance to notice. She kicked off her shoes and was changing into her pajamas when her phone chimed.

_ Charlotte: Why are you home already instead of out making sweet, sweet love to your hot new boyfriend? _

**_Lizzie: Have you been talking to Lydia?_ **

_ Charlotte: Maybe. But now I know she’s telling the truth. Why are you texting me instead of getting your freak on with him? _

**_Lizzie: When did the phrase “getting your freak on” come back into popular usage?_ **

_ Charlotte: I don’t know. It’s what Lydia used.  _

_ Charlotte: But seriously. Hot rich guy shows up at your door on your birthday, professing his love for you? Again? And you don’t spend the rest of the night unwrapping him like the best birthday present you’ve ever received? _

**_Lizzie: William had a long day. He’s tired._ **

_ Charlotte: So you take a nap first and then have sex. Problem solved. _

**_Lizzie: It was our first date!_ **

_ Charlotte: The man has been in love with you since October, and you’ve been pining for him for months. Normal first date rules don’t apply. Also, “no sex on the first date” is a stupid rule anyway. _

**_Lizzie: Okay, I don’t really disagree with you there…._ **

_ Charlotte: Aha! You totally would have banged his brains out if he hadn’t been tired. _

**_Lizzie: Banged his brains out? That’s almost worse than “getting your freak on.”_ **

_ Charlotte: That isn’t a denial. _

**_Lizzie: I plead the Fifth._ **

Lizzie changed into pajamas before heading downstairs to grab her laptop from the den. When she returned to her room, her phone was flashing with unread text messages. She debated ignoring it, assuming it was just Lydia or Charlotte giving her a hard time, but ultimately she couldn’t resist.

_ William Darcy: I know I said I’d call tomorrow, but I miss you already. Is it wrong to miss someone you’ve only been on one date with? _

_ William Darcy: One incredibly amazing date, to be fair. _

Lizzie smiled as she settled onto the bed with her laptop.

**_Lizzie: I thought you said it was just “decent enough”._ **

William’s reply was immediate.

_ William Darcy: You know my history with that phrase. It’s always an underestimate. _

Lizzie started typing a response, but a second text from William interrupted her.

_ William Darcy: You do know that I didn’t actually think the date was just “decent”, right? _

**_Lizzie: Yes, I know. I might not have 96 videos to get me up to speed, but I think I’ve started to figure out how to read you too._ **

_ William Darcy: I am happy to provide additional study time to help you catch up. Though you would have to settle for me in person, because I do not think I have the ability to convey my thoughts on camera as well as you do. _

**_Lizzie: Seeing you in person? What a chore. Though it does have its perks._ **

_ William Darcy: What might those be? _

**_Lizzie: You make a good hand warmer. My hands are always freezing._ **

_ William Darcy: I am glad to hear I have as much utility as a good pair of mittens. _

**_Lizzie: Don’t sell yourself short. You have as much utility as an *excellent* pair of mittens._ **

_ William Darcy: My greatest achievement to date. _

**_Lizzie: I don’t know about that. Some of your costume theater performances were pretty spectacular. Dare I say Oscar-worthy._ **

_ William Darcy: Now I know you’re teasing. _

**_Lizzie: Me? Teasing? Never._ **

**_Lizzie: Although honestly, I’m not teasing that much. I don’t think you’re as bad on camera as you think you are. I’ve certainly rewatched our costume theater videos many times. Though I suppose that may have just been an excuse to see you once I left Pemberley. You might say I had a bit of a crush on you._ **

_ William Darcy: Had, past tense? _

**_Lizzie: Well, crush seems to be underselling my feelings at this point. So had, past tense. Now I just absolutely adore you._ **

_ William Darcy: And I am very much in love with you, Lizzie Bennet. _

Although he had told her before, seeing the words rather than just hearing them made it all the more real. It was both exhilarating and intimidating to see his feelings written out so plainly in front of her. Lizzie found herself in the rare position of not knowing how to respond. She cared about him, and she really, really,  _ really  _ liked him. But love? That was a big word, and Lizzie wasn’t sure she was brave enough to use it.

While she was still trying to decide how to reply, another text arrived.

_ William Darcy: Don’t feel like you need to say that back. I’ve had a long time to process my feelings, but I don’t want you to feel pressured to say things before you’re ready. I am in no rush, and I have no intention of going anywhere unless you ask me to. _

**_Lizzie: Well, that is convenient, because I have no intention of asking you to go anywhere or going anywhere myself._ **

_ William Darcy: I am glad to hear it. _

_ William Darcy: At the risk of sounding too forward, I wish you were here right now. I really want to kiss you. _

Lizzie bit her lower lip, debating between two replies in her head. Taking a quick breath, she typed the more daring one and hit send before she could change her mind.

**_Lizzie: Is that all you want to do to me?_ **

Lounging in the guest bed at Netherfield, William’s eyes widened at Lizzie’s most recent text. He reread the words, not trusting his sleepy eyes, but they didn’t change. His brain raced faster than his heart, filling his head with flashes of fantasies, all involving Lizzie, a bed, and very little clothing. Trying to clear his mind, he typed back a short response.

_ William Darcy: Do you really want me to answer that? _

**_Lizzie: Sorry. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. You don’t have to._ **

William considered his options. As his few previous girlfriends could confirm, he could be a bit old-fashioned when it came to relationships. Then again, this was Lizzie. He had already deviated quite a ways from his usual romantic relationship behavior. The women he had previously dated all ran in the same social circles as him. While they had all been perfectly lovely women, he had chosen them because they seemed like an appropriate match at the time rather than because of an intense attraction or overwhelming passion. First dates had always ended with either a perfunctory kiss on the cheek or a chaste goodnight kiss, and he had waited a socially acceptable period of time before contacting the woman again for another date. So far, his relationship with Lizzie had followed absolutely none of those patterns. Maybe it was time to let go of his old-fashioned habits and loosen up a bit. It had worked so far, after all.

Before he could rethink his decision, he hit the phone icon next to Lizzie’s name.

“Hello?” she answered, sounding slightly confused.

Eschewing his normal polite phone etiquette, William jumped straight to his question while he was still feeling bold. “Do you want the short answer or the long answer?”

“I didn’t realize I had options,” she replied. He could hear the smile in her voice, and it relaxed him a little. “You choose.”

William took a deep breath. “No, I don’t just want to kiss you. I want to pull you up against my body and kiss you until your brain is as filled with longing as mine is. I want to take my time to explore your body with my hands and my lips, finding all the spots that make you squirm and gasp. I want to carry you to my bed and make you moan while I worship every single inch of your skin. I want to feel you wrapped around me, moving against me, as we bring each other to the heights of pleasure. I want to hold you in my arms while our hearts slowly return to their normal rhythm, and I want to pull you close to me as we fall asleep. I want to wake up with you and share slow, soft kisses, until our passion overtakes us and we start all over again. And again. And again. Because I will never get enough of you, Lizzie Bennet.”

There was a long pause on the other end of the phone, and William started to worry that he'd gone too far until he heard Lizzie curse. “Damn it. I should not have let you drive me home.” She let out a long, shaky breath.

“I should not have talked myself out of inviting you back to Netherfield,” he replied.

“No, you really shouldn’t have,” Lizzie confirmed.

William looked over at the clock. “It’s not too late for me to come back and rectify my mistake.”

“You have no idea how tempting it is to say yes,” Lizzie said. “But you need sleep.”

“At the moment, I’m feeling quite awake,” he replied.

Lizzie groaned. “Don’t make me be the responsible one. You’re killing me.”

“Responsibility is overrated.”

“I’m sorry, what was that? Did you just say responsibility is overrated? You, William Darcy? Am I dreaming?”

“If this is a dream, I have no desire to ever wake up,” he answered.

Lizzie laughed. “You’re so cheesy.”

His attempt at a reply was interrupted by a huge yawn.

“Okay, Mr. Darcy. I heard that. Time for bed for you.”

“That doesn’t sound very appealing without you here. This bed is very large and very empty.”

“You’re the one who drove me home instead of inviting me there.”

“A grievous error I have no intention of repeating,” he replied.

“Well, at least you’ve learned from your mistake,” Lizzie said as he unsuccessfully tried to stifle another yawn.

“That’s it. I’m hanging up now,” Lizzie stated. “You need to sleep. I’ve got some very important plans for you tomorrow night, and you’ll need your energy.”

William smiled as his eyes started to drift closed. “I look forward to it, Lizzie Bennet.”

“Goodnight, William.”

“Goodnight, Lizzie. Sweet dreams.” William pulled the phone away from his ear and ended the call. He rolled to his side, plugged in his phone, turned off the light, and fell asleep almost immediately.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm still not sure how I feel about the phone call at the end - it may be too out of character for Darcy. But my muses were insistent, so... that's where this chapter went.
> 
> Thanks for all the kudos so far!


	3. Chapter 3

Lizzie woke up shortly before 9 AM. As she blinked the sleep from her eyes, she started making a mental list of the things she needed to do today. It was a video upload day, but she had finished editing her video and scheduled it to publish late last night, so that was all set. She definitely needed to do some more work on her independent study project. While she was excited about the idea of creating a hypothetical company, she had realized it was going to be a lot more work than her other independent study experiences. And then…

Her thoughts were abruptly interrupted as her brain fully engaged.  _ William.  _ She jolted upright and reached for her phone, which was lying facedown on her nightstand. She saw a notification for two unread text messages, and she broke out in a smile before she even opened the first one.

_ William Darcy: Good morning, Lizzie. I hope you slept well and had pleasant dreams. Mine were filled with images of you, as they often are as of late. Up until now, they have been a source of great joy, but after yesterday evening, all dreams pale in comparison to the reality of being with you. It was quite disappointing to wake up to an empty bed. I had to console myself with the knowledge that I likely won’t have to repeat that experience tomorrow morning, assuming you still feel the same way you did last night. I don’t know what your plans are for the day, but I am eager to see you if you have the time. Call or text me when you wake up. _

She couldn’t help but grin like a fool as she read his text a second time, amused at how adorably formal his texts were. It was like he was the protagonist in one of those Regency romance novels her mother loved, except with a phone and keyboard instead of a quill and parchment. Before she replied, she clicked on the second unread message.

_ Charlotte: Saw this morning’s video. Nice job on the cliffhanger. Your viewers are going to kill you. Want to grab breakfast at the diner this morning? I can come over after and help you edit the rest of the footage for Thursday. _

**_Lizzie: You just want to see what happened after you left._ **

_ Charlotte: Can’t a person offer to help her best friend edit her video blog without being accused of having ulterior motives? _

**_Lizzie: Please. I’ve known you since birth. I know what you’re up to._ **

_ Charlotte: Pick you up in twenty? _

**_Lizzie: That’s not a denial. I’m onto you, Charlotte Lu._ **

**_Lizzie: And yeah, that sounds good._ **

Before she got up to start getting ready, Lizzie returned to the message from William.

**_Lizzie: It is a really good thing I am not lactose intolerant, because you are pure cheese this morning. Luckily for you, I’m quite fond of cheese. And of you._ **

_ William Darcy: That makes me a very lucky man, indeed. Luckier still if you happen to have room for me on your busy schedule for the day. _

**_Lizzie: Correct me if I’m wrong, but I could have sworn you were the CEO of a company. Which would make you the one with the busy schedule._ **

_ William Darcy: The perk of being the CEO is that I get to control my own schedule. To some extent, anyway. If something more important comes up, like needing to make an unexpected trip out of town to see the woman I love, there are assistants to help reschedule meetings and a whole legion of directors and managers to cover the meetings that cannot be rescheduled. The added bonus of being the CEO of a digital media company is that with a computer and an internet connection, I can accomplish much of my work without being physically in my office. Which is a long-winded way of saying that my schedule today is flexible, so whenever you are free, I am available. _

**_Lizzie: I would like to remind you that you didn’t *need* to make a trip out of town. You could have, I don’t know, just returned my phone call like a normal person._ **

_ William Darcy: Very well then. Next time I’m attempting to ascertain if the woman I love has feelings for me, I will be sure to do so in a phone call from thousands of miles away. I’m sure the experience will be equally enjoyable. _

**_Lizzie: William Darcy, are you sassing me?_ **

_ William Darcy: I am incapable of sass. That software upgrade is still in development and is not available for the current Darcybot model. _

Lizzie let out a surprised laugh.

**_Lizzie: That’s a disappointment. I expected better of a company as sophisticated as Pemberley Digital._ **

_ William Darcy: Perhaps you can take it up with their CEO. I hear he’s quite amenable to suggestions from beautiful women. Or at least one particular woman. _

**_Lizzie: Oh, anyone I know?_ **

_ William Darcy: Possibly. She’s a gorgeous redhead with a warm smile, a charming personality, a stunning intellect, and a dazzling wit. _

**_Lizzie: Well, that narrows it down to one of my sisters, but which one?_ **

_ William Darcy: Oh, I thought it would be obvious that I was speaking about your mother. _

Lizzie laughed again, this time even more loudly. Perhaps too loudly, she thought, as her door swung open and a sleepy Lydia wandered in, wrapped tightly in a blanket.

“Why are you laughing so loudly so early in the morning?” she whined, plopping onto Mrs. Bennet’s meditation stool.

Lizzie looked at the clock. “It’s 9:20. Don’t you have class at 10?”

“Yeah, which means I still have 20 minutes to sleep,” she groaned. “Except you’re too loud.”

“Sorry,” Lizzie apologized. “William just said something funny, and…”

Lydia stared at her in confusion. “Darcybot has a humor setting?”

The reference to Darcybot just made Lizzie laugh harder. Lydia glared at her. “You’re weird,” she muttered before she shuffled back out of the room.

**_Lizzie: You just made me laugh so loudly that I woke up Lydia._ **

_ William Darcy: Sorry. I did not mean to disturb your sister. How is she doing, by the way? I should have asked last night, but I was slightly distracted. _

**_Lizzie: She’s… okay, I think. Or she’s getting there. She’s seeing a counselor, which seems to be really helping her process, and she’s thrown herself back into her studies, which as far as distractions go, is a fairly healthy one. She’s on track to graduate from community college this spring, and I think she’s really looking forward to transferring to one of the state universities in the fall. I’m really proud of her._ **

_ William Darcy: As you should be. She’s a very impressive young woman. _

**_Lizzie: She really is. I’m just sorry I didn’t see it sooner._ **

_ William Darcy: As am I. Please extend her my sincerest apologies for my previous comments.  _

**_Lizzie: I’m pretty sure the whole “buying a company to save her reputation” thing kind of makes up for it._ **

_ William Darcy: Maybe it would, if I had done it for her, but as I said last night, it was for you. I couldn’t bear to see you in distress when there was something I could easily do about it. _

**_Lizzie: Yes, buying a random company is just so easy. Why, just yesterday, I bought three companies before noon, just for fun._ **

_ William Darcy: If you’re looking to add a fourth, I happen to find myself in possession of an adult video hosting site that I currently have no need for. I would be willing to part with it for free, since it is worthless now that I have removed all of its content from the web. Based on the questionable nature of how your sister’s video was posted, I did not trust that any of the others had been posted with the consent of all participants. _

Lizzie couldn’t help it. She melted a little. How had she ever thought this man to be cold and uncaring? He could have just bought the company, removed and deleted her sister’s video, and then resold the company with little to no financial loss. But that wasn’t William Darcy’s style. He was a generous, compassionate person who thought about all the other people who had videos on that website.

**_Lizzie: So no new porn branch for Pemberley Digital?_ **

_ William Darcy: Absolutely not. I have no desire to be involved in that kind of venture. _

_ William Darcy: Not that there is anything inherently wrong with porn, as long as it is done ethically, with enthusiastic, informed consent from all participants, safe and respectful working environments, and generous financial compensation for all actors and actresses. Which is not a common practice, unfortunately.  _

**_Lizzie: That sounds to me like Pemberley Digital should take on pornography. Change the culture. Lead the way to new standards for the pornography industry._ **

_ William Darcy: Pemberley Digital has enough on its plate for the foreseeable future. I also don’t think we are the right people to take that project on. I am intelligent enough to know my own limits, and the challenges in the pornography industry are far more complex and require much more expertise than I or my company possess. _

**_Lizzie: But just imagine how thrilled your aunt Catherine would be._ **

_ William Darcy: That is… certainly something to imagine. _

**_Lizzie: You know I’m just teasing, right?_ **

_ William Darcy: Yes, I know. Your fondness for teasing is just one of the many things I love about you. _

Lizzie knew she was smiling goofily at her phone, but she couldn’t help it. She was just about to text a reply when her bedroom door swung open.

“I knew you wouldn’t be ready in twenty minutes,” Charlotte said, taking in Lizzie’s pajamas and bedhead, “but I thought maybe you would have at least  _ started  _ getting ready.”

“It hasn’t been--” Lizzie started to protest before she looked at the clock. “Oh. Oops. I guess I lost track of time.”

“Gee, I can’t imagine why,” Charlotte replied, looking pointedly at Lizzie’s phone.

“Sorry. I’ll get ready quickly. Give me a few minutes,” she said.

Charlotte eyed her skeptically. “Fine. But if you’re not downstairs in 5 minutes, I’m telling your mother what you were really doing last night when she thought you were out with me.”

“You wouldn’t dare.”

Charlotte just gave her a dry look before leaving the room.

**_Lizzie: I’m sorry, I have to go. I was supposed to be getting ready to meet up with Charlotte, but someone distracted me._ **

_ William Darcy: I probably should apologize, but I enjoyed it too much to be sorry. _

**_Lizzie: I enjoyed it too. But now Charlotte is blackmailing me into getting ready under threat of telling my mother about us dating. And we all know what an adventure that would be._ **

_ William Darcy: I am prepared to face that consequence whenever you are. _

**_Lizzie: To be clear, I’m not ashamed of dating you or trying to hide you from my parents. I will tell her soon, because I anticipate being in this relationship for a long time, and we might as well get that over with sooner rather than later. I just don’t want to deal with it before coffee._ **

_ William Darcy: Understandable. _

_ William Darcy: I anticipate being in this relationship for a long time as well. _

**_Lizzie: God, I just want to kiss you right now._ **

_ William Darcy: The feeling is mutual. _

Her phone popped up with another text notification.

_ Charlotte: Three minutes, Bennet. _

**_Lizzie: Crap. Okay. Gotta go. See you later?_ **

_ William Darcy: I look forward to it. _

Lizzie grinned at her phone one last time before dashing to her closet to pull out the first clean thing she could find.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you're all enjoying so far! I apologize for the complete lack of plot and pacing.


	4. Chapter 4

William was attempting to focus on his work, rather unsuccessfully, when his phone buzzed. Grateful for the distraction, he grabbed at it. His sister’s face smiled up from the screen. He quickly answered the call.

“Hi, Gigi.”

“Hi, big brother. How are you?” she asked, sounding somewhat hesitant.

He knew she was trying to gauge his mood based on the sound of his voice, so he did his best to keep his tone even. “I’m well, and yourself?”

“I’m fine.” She paused. “How was Chicago?”

“The Chicago trip went well. They seemed excited about our upcoming projects, and I expect they will invest again this year.”

“And your…. flight?” she asked, her voice sounding slightly more impatient.

“Uneventful. Things went smoothly.” Gigi let out a frustrated sigh, and William laughed softly. “Ask what you want to ask, Gigi.”

“Okay, so I know you went to see Lizzie. When you sent me that cryptic text about ‘change of travel plans’ yesterday, I had to ask Mrs. Reynolds what you meant because you didn’t reply to my messages. She was hesitant, but I finally convinced her to tell me where you were going. And there’s only one reason I can think of for you to fly there, and that’s Lizzie. So tell me how it went!” she demanded.

“I’m impressed you resisted opening with that,” he commented.

“William….” she whined.

“It went… well,” he said simply.

To most people, the difference in his tone would have been imperceptible. But Gigi knew him well enough to hear the soft smile in his voice and the subtle change in inflection. “Oh my god. You totally hooked up with her, didn’t you? Oh my god. I knew it. I knew she liked you!”

William’s smile broadened at his sister’s excitement. “I wouldn’t say I ‘hooked up’ with her, because that just sounds crass. But yes, much to my delighted surprise, Lizzie does, in fact, like me.”

“You shouldn’t be surprised,” Gigi admonished. “You’re a really great guy. Lizzie is way too smart to have not noticed that.”

“I did not make it very easy for her to notice,” he reflected. “Certainly not my best first impression.”

Gigi made a scoffing noise. “Doesn’t matter now, does it? She likes you!” She let out a little squeal. Then she sobered. “Oh my god, I didn’t even think to ask if I was interrupting something. Am I? Because you can totally talk to me later if she’s there and you need to go.”

“Gigi, if she were here, I would not have answered the phone,” he replied.

“What if it had been an emergency?” she asked.

“If it had been an emergency, you would have called more than once. And if you had called more than once, I would have answered the second time,” he reasoned.

“What if it was an urgent emergency?” she countered.

“Then you should be calling 911 and not me,” he retorted.

Gigi laughed. “Okay, that’s fair,” she said. “But seriously, William, I am so happy for you. You deserve to be happy, with someone who will love you and care for you the way you love and care for literally everyone around you. And Lizzie seems like someone who will do that.”

William was touched by his sister’s sincerity. “Thank you, Gigi.”

“Also, you owe me big time for forcing you and Lizzie together while she was here at Pemberley,” she said playfully.

“I don’t think her opinion of me changed because you shoved us into an office together,” William replied.

“Please, I did way more than just shove you in an office together. Who kept inviting her to join us for weekend plans? Who subtly talked you up when you weren’t around? Who conveniently pretended to be ‘unavailable’ so you could ask her to join you at the theater?”

“Okay, I’ll give you the first two, but that last one didn’t work out.”

“It would have if that stupid asshole George Wickham hadn’t pulled another major asshole move,” she spat, her voice uncharacteristically vitriolic. “God. I still can’t believe he did that. What a fucking asshole.”

Gigi had never been one for cursing, but the topic of George Wickham always got her pretty riled up. “I know this has been hard on you too,” he said softly. “How are you doing?”

Gigi made a noncommittal noise. “I’m okay,” she said, a little shakily. “Don’t worry about me. I’ve been seeing my therapist, and we’re working through it. I’m just sorry for Lizzie’s sister.”

“She’s strong and tough, like you. I am confident she’ll get through it,” he replied.

“Can you ask Lizzie to pass along my contact info in case her sister wants to talk to someone who’s been through the George Wickham ringer?”

William’s chest swelled with pride for his little sister. She’d been through a lot, but she was still the sweetest, most compassionate person he knew. “I will definitely do so.”

“Thanks, William.” In the background, he heard the sound of a knock on her door. “Shoot. I have to go. I’m late for a meeting about the next phase of the Domino launch. Talk to you soon! Love you!”

“Bye, Gigi,” he answered as she hung up.

*******

Their waitress had already poured them some coffee and taken their breakfast orders before Charlotte looked at Lizzie expectantly. “So…?” she prompted.

“So….” Lizzie mimicked.

“Aren’t you going to fill in your best friend about last night?”

“You’re right, I should call Jane,” Lizzie replied. 

Charlotte kicked her under the table, and Lizzie laughed.

“I thought you were coming over to edit footage so you could see it yourself.”

“Well, unless you brought the camera with you on your date, your video is not going to cover everything,” Charlotte replied logically.

Lizzie conceded her point. “There’s not much to tell, though. I mean, after he showed up in the den, we talked for a few minutes, and I told him how I felt, and then we went to dinner.”

“That is the vaguest description I have ever heard. I know for a fact that you did more than just ‘talk’. I was there, remember?”

Lizzie gave her a confused look. “No, you left.”

Charlotte looked at her in disbelief. “Did you honestly think I would just let in Darcy, the man you were completely heartbroken over, and walk off without making sure everything was fine? I waited a respectful few minutes in the hallway, and when I didn’t hear any yelling or crying, I glanced in the den to see how you were. You just didn’t notice me because you were busy making out with your new boyfriend.”

“He’s not my boyfriend,” Lizzie replied automatically.

Charlotte raised an eyebrow. “Really? He’s not your boyfriend?”

“We’ve been on one date!” Lizzie protested.

“And what, you’re not sure if you’re going to call him again?” she asked sarcastically. “You’re worried he won’t contact you again? Based on the dopey smile on your face when I came to your room this morning, I am guessing that ship has already sailed. So I think it’s pretty safe to assume you’re both still interested and there will be additional dates.”

Lizzie smiled widely. “Yeah, there will be.”

Charlotte took a sip of her coffee. “So again, I say… he’s your boyfriend.”

Lizzie shrugged. “I guess. I don’t know. It just feels wrong to apply that label without talking with him about it first.”

Charlotte rolled her eyes. “This isn’t middle school. You don’t need to pass him a note during math that says, ‘Will you be my boyfriend? Check yes or no.’ He’s already admitted that he’s in love with you. I don’t think he would be offended by the label ‘boyfriend.’”

Lizzie just shrugged again and took a sip of her coffee.

“So, how many hours of make out footage am I going to have to edit out?” Charlotte teased.

“None! I remembered to turn off the camera,” she replied proudly.

“At least you’re finally admitting there was making out.”

An hour and a half later, comfortably full from oversized diner breakfasts, they were sitting in Lizzie’s den looking at footage. “I thought you said there was no make out footage,” Charlotte said, smirking at Lizzie.

“That’s not make out footage,” Lizzie insisted. “It’s a kiss.”

On screen, William said, “I could use some further illumination on certain points however,” before they started kissing again. Charlotte just turned to Lizzie and raised her eyebrows.

“Okay. So there’s a tiny bit of make out footage.”

“And how much of this make out footage are we allowed to air?” Charlotte asked.

Lizzie bit her lip. “I should probably ask William if he’s okay with it first…”

“Probably,” Charlotte agreed.

“I’m going to go call him and find out,” Lizzie replied, gesturing toward the door to the hall. “I’ll be right back.”

“Take your time,” Charlotte said with a smirk. 

Lizzie waved in acknowledgement before stepping into the hall. She made her way over to the stairs and took a seat on the bottom step before calling William.

He picked up on the first ring. “Hello, Lizzie,” he said, his voice soft and warm and intimate. It made her think back to last night’s phone call, and she got lost in thought until she heard his voice again. “Lizzie?”

“Sorry, I was just… thinking,” she replied. “Hi, William.”

“Hi, Lizzie.” She could practically hear the smile in his voice. “To what do I owe the pleasure of this call?”

“I just had a question for you,” Lizzie replied. She heard the sound of a keyboard in the background. “Sorry, is this a bad time?”

“Not at all,” he replied smoothly. “Just saving something before I get distracted by my girlfriend.”

Lizzie’s thoughts got derailed completely at the sound of the word  _ girlfriend.  _ All she could do is repeat the word. “Girlfriend?”

William cleared his throat. “Sorry. Is that an okay word to use? Should I have asked first? I just assumed… I mean, I guess I shouldn’t have assumed…”

“No, girlfriend is good,” she interrupted. “Girlfriend is… really good. I was just… surprised. But in a good way. I like the sound of it.”

“I like the sound of it too,” he said quietly.

They were both silent for a moment, and Lizzie assumed that he, like her, was just kind of grinning at his phone like a fool. He was the first to break the silence. “You said you had a question for me?”

“Oh, right,” Lizzie said, remembering the purpose of the call. “So, as you know, I was filming last night when you got here.”

“Yes, I recall,” William replied, still with a smile in his voice.

“So Charlotte is here, helping me edit videos, and I realized I should probably ask you… I mean, not that I’ve asked you before, but… it’s different now, I guess. And I don’t know, I’ve always felt a little uneasy about the ethics of including other people in my videos without explicitly asking them first, like you, and Bing… so I’m trying to do better. Especially because it’s different now, you know?”

“I’m not sure I follow,” he answered hesitantly.

“Sorry, of course you didn’t. That wasn’t even remotely coherent. Let’s try this again.” She took a breath to collect her thoughts. “Charlotte is here, helping me edit videos, and in looking at the footage from last night, I realized I should probably talk to you first before I publish any of it.”

“They’re your video diaries, Lizzie. You don’t need my permission.”

“I would feel a lot more comfortable about it if I did have your permission, though,” she said. “I mean, you’re my boyfriend now, and I don’t want to unintentionally do anything to sabotage this relationship…”

“Sorry to interrupt, Lizzie,” William said, “but I’m going to need a minute.”

The tone of his voice sounded off, and Lizzie got concerned. “Is everything okay?”

“Yes,” he replied quickly. “It’s just… that's the first time you've called me your boyfriend, and I really liked the sound of it. And I realized my brain was so fixated on you saying boyfriend that I wasn’t really listening anymore. I’m sorry I cut you off, but it didn’t seem right to let you keep talking when I knew I was not capable of processing what you were saying after the word boyfriend.”

Lizzie smiled. “You’re such a considerate boyfriend, William Darcy.”

William’s reply was completely drowned out by a very familiar woman’s voice. “Elizabeth?”

Lizzie whirled around to see her mom standing at the top of the stairs, looking both confused and intrigued. “Mom! I um… didn’t hear you coming… How long have you been standing there?”

“Long enough to hear you call William Darcy your boyfriend,” she drawled in reply, looking at the phone in Lizzie’s hand.

Lizzie put the phone back to her ear. “William? Sorry, I have to go. Don’t worry, everything’s okay. But I’ll call you back shortly,” she said quickly. She hung up before she could even hear him respond.

“Elizabeth, darling, is there something you need to tell me?” Mrs. Bennet asked.

Lizzie shuffled awkwardly. As she was formulating her reply, Lydia emerged from the kitchen. “What’s going on?” she asked, seeing Mrs. Bennet and Lizzie in a stand-off on the stairs.

“Elizabeth was just about to explain to me why she was on the phone with William Darcy, calling him her boyfriend,” Mrs. Bennet replied.

Lydia’s face lit up with excitement. “Oh, this should be interesting. Go ahead, Lizzie.”

Lizzie took a deep breath. “There’s not really much more to explain,” she said. “William Darcy and I are… dating.”

Mrs. Bennet’s face shifted more toward excitement, but there was still a look of confusion. “But I thought you hated him, dear.”

“Um… yeah, well, I um… I’ve had a chance to get to know him better, and I was wrong about him. He’s a really great guy, and I like him very much,” she said, not able to help the smile that formed when she talked about him.

“Well, it sounds like we will all have to get to know him a little better,” Mrs. Bennet said, now looking completely delighted. “And to think I had almost given up on ever finding you a husband. Ever since you ended things with that delightful George fellow, though luckily Lydia here snatched him right up because she recognizes a good catch when she sees one…”

Lizzie quickly jumped in. “William is in town this week, if you wanted to have him over for dinner so you could get to know him better.” She glanced over at Lydia, who shot her a quick look of gratitude before disappearing back toward the kitchen. 

“That is a lovely idea, Elizabeth,” Mrs. Bennet replied. She looked down at her watch. “It’s almost noon. That doesn’t give me much time.” She hurried down the stairs, talking to herself the whole way. “Green bean gelatin will never solidify in time, but if I go to the store now, I can get all the fixin’s for a nice salmon dinner. Tell William dinner is at 6,” she called over her shoulder as she rushed out the front door.

Lizzie was frozen in confusion, still at the bottom of the stairs, when Lydia reappeared. “So, do you think Mom will break out the wedding planning binders tonight, or wait until tomorrow?”

Lizzie groaned. “This is going to be a disaster.”

“Yup! And it’s going to be hi-lar-i-ous,” Lydia said. “Charlotte! Want to stay for dinner and entertainment?”

Lizzie turned to see Charlotte standing in the doorway of the den. “As amusing as that whole situation sounds, I unfortunately need to head out so I can make it to LA on time.”

“How much of that did you witness?” Lizzie asked cautiously.

“Enough to know that I’m unfortunately going to be missing a glorious train wreck tonight,” Charlotte replied.

“Don’t worry, I’ll text you live updates,” Lydia promised before bouncing up the stairs.

“Well, this relationship was nice while it lasted,” Lizzie moaned, sinking back down to the stairs.

Charlotte came over to sit beside her. “Come on, it won’t be that bad. Darcy’s met your mother. More than once. And he  _ still  _ loves you.”

“Yes, but he’s never had to eat dinner with her when she’s in full husband-catching mode,” Lizzie replied.

Charlotte wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “The man survived telling you he loved you and being devastatingly rejected. Not that I’m saying your rejection wasn’t justified, of course. But if he can get over that and somehow love you even more afterwards, I think he can survive your mother.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure,” Lizzie mumbled defeatedly.

Charlotte squeezed her in a quick side hug. “I would be. And if for some reason I’m wrong, which is statistically unlikely, given my track record with Darcy predictions, I’ll be back in town at the end of the week, and we can eat all the junk food and watch all the movies you need.”

Lizzie smiled. “You’re the best.”

“I know,” Charlotte said smugly before standing up. “Anyway, I made some minor footage tweaks, mostly lighting and stuff. Assuming Darcy is okay with you using the footage, you should just need to film an intro.”

“Well, at least I have video footage to remind me of how good it was for 24 hours,” Lizzie said half-heartedly.

Charlotte gave her another quick hug. “Let me know how things go tonight. Call me if you need to talk.”

“Thanks,” Lizzie said. “Now I just have to call William back and tell him my mother will be fitting him for a wedding suit this evening.”

Charlotte laughed. “Good luck with that.”

“Have a good trip,” Lizzie replied. Charlotte waved before heading out the front door. Lizzie sighed, then picked up her phone again to call William and tell him the good news.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I know in canon (assuming you count the Twitter activity back in 2013 as canon), William didn't answer Gigi's calls for like days or something after going to see Lizzie, but that just seemed unrealistic to me, so I'm ignoring it.


	5. Chapter 5

Lizzie was sitting in the den, trying (and mostly failing) to focus on writing her hypothetical business plan, when her father wandered in. Since her father rarely left the sanctuary of his study in the basement by choice, Lizzie knew exactly what this was about.

“I hear we are expecting a certain gentleman caller at dinner this evening,” Mr. Bennet commented as he sat next to her on the couch.

“I take it you’ve spoken with Mom?” Lizzie asked.

“I haven’t spoken with her per se, but she has sent me several dozen text messages in the last few hours. I wish your sister hadn’t taught her how to text,” he replied.

Lizzie shut her laptop and turned to face her father. “You know she’d just end up calling you that many times instead.”

Mr. Bennet smiled. “Yes, but it’s easier to ignore phone calls by putting my phone on silent. The text messages will be there whether or not I answer them.”

Lizzie nodded in acknowledgement. “Well, it’s your fault for raising Jane to be so friendly and helpful.”

Her father laughed. “Come now, Lizzie, you must realize that happened  _ in spite  _ of how I raised her rather than because of it.”

Lizzie joined in his laughter. “It is pretty inexplicable how someone as sweet as Jane is related to the rest of us.” Mr. Bennet just smiled in response, so Lizzie prompted him. “But you didn’t come up here to chat with me about Jane.”

“No, I didn’t,” he replied, growing uncharacteristically serious. “I was sure your mother was wrong when she first typed it, but given how many times she’s mentioned the name in her flurry of texts, I’m beginning to think it’s not a mistake. Is William Darcy coming over for dinner?”

Lizzie nodded.

Mr. Bennet frowned. “Look, I know I’m pretty disconnected from the goings-on around here, but even I know how much you hated him. I know your mother has been pressuring you girls to marry well your whole lives…”

Lizzie snorted. “You think I’m dating William because of  _ Mom? _ ” 

Her dad shifted uncomfortably. “Not necessarily, but I have to admit that I’m very confused and concerned. I know you’ve been worried about our financial status and losing the house, and then with everything that happened with Lydia, I don’t want you settling because you think it’s the right thing to do.”

“I’m not dating William for his money, Dad. Or because of what he did for Lydia.” 

Her father furrowed his brow. “What he did for Lydia?” he repeated.

“Buying up the company to destroy the, um… tape?” Lizzie replied.

Mr. Bennet looked shell-shocked. “That’s how the site got taken down?” 

“You didn’t know?” He shook his head. “So then what were you talking about with the thing with Lydia?”

“I just meant the uncertainty of the whole situation and how that might have affected you. I didn’t realize…” he trailed off. “I have to pay him back.”

“No, Dad, William wouldn’t want that,” Lizzie replied emphatically, placing a hand on her father’s arm. “I wouldn’t have told you if I had realized you didn’t know. William didn’t even want  _ me _ to know.”

Mr. Bennet’s face shifted to one of total confusion. “Why wouldn’t he want you to know?”

“He didn’t want my gratitude to influence my opinion of him,” Lizzie explained.

“Then why did he do it?”

“Because he takes care of the people he loves, which apparently includes me.” Lizzie couldn’t help the sappy smile that spread across her face. “I really misjudged him, Dad. He’s just… he’s so...” Lizzie laughed, unable to come up with words that were sufficient to describe William Darcy.

Mr. Bennet’s face softened. “You really do care about him.”

“I do. Very much,” she replied. “He’s the best man I’ve ever known. Present company excluded, of course.”

Her dad rolled his eyes. “That’s not saying much about your Mr. Darcy then,” he joked with a twinkle in his eyes. Then he sobered. “Lizzie, you know I love all three of you, but you’ve always been the most similar to me. Underneath that biting wit you got from me, you’ve also got my big heart, and I know you would do anything for your family. I needed to make sure your sudden change of heart wasn’t some misguided self-sacrifice for the good of the rest of us.”

“It’s not,” Lizzie confirmed. “I really, really like him. For him.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” her dad replied. Then he cleared his throat. “Well, I need to get going. Apparently your young man will run screaming in horror if I don’t thoroughly clean the tub in the master bathroom.”

Lizzie gave him a confused look. “Why would William even be in the master bathroom?”

Mr. Bennet shrugged as he stood. “Lizzie, I have long since learned that my life is much easier when I don’t question your mother. Though William will need to forgive me, because I am drawing the line at taking a toothbrush to the grout.”

Lizzie laughed. “Somehow, I don’t think he’ll notice.”

Her dad headed toward the door, then paused. “You deserve only the best, my Lizzie. I hope William realizes how lucky he is.”

Lizzie blushed. “You’re a bit biased.”

“A father, biased towards his own children? Unheard of,” Mr. Bennet replied with a wink. As he exited the room, he called, “And don’t tell your mother about the grout thing!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a bunch of this story drafted and had been working my way through editing it slowly, posting chapters as I finished. Initially, this chapter didn't exist, but as I was working my way through what I did have, this scene just popped into my head and I decided to write it. I've always had a bit of a soft spot for Mr. Bennet. I think he reminds me of my own dad on some level.
> 
> Thank you all for the kudos and comments! I'm glad people are enjoying what has mostly been a self-indulgent fluffball. FYI, I'm always open to constructive criticism (as well as effusive praise, if you're feeling so inclined).


	6. Chapter 6

The doorbell rang at precisely 6:00 PM. Mrs. Bennet was in a frantic state, panicking about whether the fine china was nice enough and worrying that salmon was too low-brow to impress her “future son-in-law.” Mr. Bennet was trying to calm her, while Lydia reset the dining room table for the fourth time per Mrs. Bennet’s newest instructions. Lizzie used the doorbell as an excuse to duck out of the kitchen, avoiding Mrs. Bennet’s question about whether the cloth napkins should be ironed again before dinner.

As Lizzie expected, William was standing slightly nervously on the other side of the front door, holding a beautiful mixed bouquet of flowers and an expensive-looking bottle of wine. “Hi,” Lizzie said with a warm smile.

“Hi,” he repeated, a similarly warm smile on his face as he stepped inside.

Lizzie stretched up on her toes and pressed a kiss to William’s lips. “I’ve been looking forward to that all day,” he murmured against her lips when she pulled away.

“Me too,” she agreed, leaning back in to kiss him again. She wished she could just keep kissing him instead of dealing with the chaos that was sure to ensue. She sunk back onto her flat feet and fiddled with William’s tie. “You love me, right?”

He nodded solemnly. “Very much.”

She looked up at him pleadingly. “Promise me you’ll try to hold that thought for the next few hours.”

He leaned down to press a kiss to her forehead. “Nothing your family says or does could possibly change that.”

She gave him a wry smile. “Be careful, they might take that as a challenge.” She sighed and stepped back from him. “Let’s get this over with.”

*****

It didn’t take long for William to realize that dinner with the Bennets was an… experience. Even when his parents had been alive, dinner with the Darcys had always been a quiet, calm affair. There was nothing quiet or calm about the Bennets. The meal had started fairly uneventfully, with Mrs. Bennet filling the awkward silence with repeated apologies about the quality of the food and lamenting how little warning time Lizzie had given her to prepare for their guest. William was running out of polite compliments and expressions of gratitude when Lydia finally jumped in with an exasperated, “Chill out, Mom. I’m sure Darceface has eaten microwaved frozen vegetables before.” 

That seemed to be the tipping point into chaos. Mrs. Bennet immediately scolded Lydia for using such “rude nicknames”, interrupted by Lydia insisting that “Darceface isn’t offended, right, Darceface?” William awkwardly nodded, not that anyone seemed to actually care about his response. While Lydia and Mrs. Bennet continued to bicker, Mr. Bennet leaned forward and addressed William. “So William, Lizzie has told me very little about you, other than that you’re an insufferably pretentious snob.”

William choked on the sip of water he had just taken. Lizzie didn’t seem fazed by the comment, though. “That’s not true, Dad. I believe I also mentioned he’s disgustingly rich,” she deadpanned.

“Ah yes, his redeeming quality,” Mr. Bennet replied.

“Henry!” Mrs. Bennet shouted in horror, her argument with Lydia apparently forgotten.

While Mrs. Bennet turned her scolding to her husband, Lizzie rested her hand on his. “Sorry, William. He’s just teasing you.” William nodded and tried to relax, with little success. Lizzie leaned over and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek. “It’s a good thing, I promise,” she murmured. “It means he likes you.”

William gave her a soft smile and turned his hand on the table to lace their fingers together. As Lizzie settled back into her chair, he lifted their hands and pressed a kiss to the back of hers before releasing it so he could pick up his fork again.

“Ugh, you two are gross,” Lydia whined from across the table, bursting their quiet little bubble among the chaos.

Mrs. Bennet leaned over and swatted her arm. “They’re very sweet. You should be happy your sister has finally found herself a nice man like the rest of you.”

Lydia flushed slightly at that, and Lizzie swooped in to take over. “You say that like I’m an old spinster, Mom.”

“When I was your age, I was already married with one child and another on the way,” Mrs. Bennet informed her.

“You’ve been reminding me that I’m behind since I graduated from college without a husband, Mom. Find a new refrain,” Lizzie replied dryly. 

“I’m just saying, Elizabeth, you’re not getting any younger. Your older sister is practically engaged --”

“Jane isn’t practically engaged,” Lizzie sighed.

“-- and even your baby sister has found a charming man --”

“Dear, let’s get to know William a bit before we start marrying him off to our daughter,” Mr. Bennet interrupted.

“Yes, of course.” Mrs. Bennet turned her attention to William and gave him a cheerful smile. William was suddenly filled with a sense of dread. “William, dear, tell us about your job. Lizzie said you own your own company, is that right? Very impressive at such a young age. You don’t see many successful CEOs who are twenty--” she trailed off, looking at William expectantly.

“Seven,” he filled in.

“Twenty-seven! Wow. You must be very talented. And did I hear you have a younger sister?”

Relieved to be in much more comfortable conversational territory, William nodded and began talking about Gigi. The rest of the meal passed in a blur of increasingly intrusive questions from Mrs. Bennet, teasing quips and sarcastic remarks from Lizzie and her father, and inappropriate and irreverent commentary from Lydia. By the time William was politely refusing a second helping of Mrs. Bennet’s Mississippi mud pie, he was completely exhausted. 

Completely ignoring his response, Mrs. Bennet pushed a second helping of pie across the table to William while talking to nobody in particular. “It’s just so wonderful to finally have some men in the family to enjoy my cooking. Not that my girls don’t have impressive appetites at times -- don’t make that face, Elizabeth, you know it’s true -- but it’s just not the same as the hearty appetites of you young men.”

Next to him, Lizzie rolled her eyes dramatically. “Mom, people usually wait for a relationship to last at least a few months before they start forcefully adopting their children’s partners into their family.”

Mrs. Bennet waved her hand dismissively. “You don’t need months to know when someone’s the right fit like your William here is. Why, I knew after our first date that I was going to marry your father, and sure enough, we were at the altar three months later.”

“And we all see how well that dysfunctional relationship has worked out,” Lydia muttered under her breath, causing Lizzie to snort in amusement.

William was trying to figure out what to do with his unwanted second dessert serving when Lizzie pulled it out from under him. “Once again, Mom, I’m not getting married anytime soon,” Lizzie announced, surreptitiously placing the pie back in the serving tray before starting to collect empty plates.

“I don’t know why you insist on being so independent all the time, Lizzie,” Mrs. Bennet started to lecture. “You shouldn’t let another good man get away….” Her voice was cut off by the kitchen door swinging shut behind her and Lizzie.

William sat awkwardly at the table, trying to decide if he should offer to help or spare Lizzie the discomfort of being lectured about marriage in front of him. He was saved from his musing by Mr. Bennet’s voice. “How do you feel about trains, William?”

William cleared his throat as he crafted a response. “Trains can be quite fascinating.”

“Why don’t you come take a look at my collection?” Mr. Bennet suggested. Sensing it wasn’t really a request, William nodded and stood to follow Lizzie’s father.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all your kind comments and kudos! I'm so glad you're enjoying this.


	7. Chapter 7

“I’ve been collecting since I was a kid,” Mr. Bennet explained as he led them into the basement. “I got a train set for Christmas when I was seven, and from then on I was hooked. Still have that original set around here somewhere.” He flicked on the light to show a partially finished basement, the far wall lined with shelves full of trains of all shapes, sizes, and colors. A small work table sat in front of the shelves, littered with train cars and small tools.

“You have an impressive collection, sir,” William commented.

“No need for the formality, son. Call me Henry.”

“Yes, sir,” William replied automatically. Mr. Bennet stared at William pointedly. “Henry,” William corrected.

“Better,” Lizzie’s father said. He reached for a train engine with peeling paint that sat on the table. “I just tracked this beauty down last week. Lionel made a limited batch of this locomotive in 1953. They are incredibly hard to find, but I got this one for a steal since it’s quite worn. With just a little work and a fresh coat of paint, I’ll have it looking good as new.” He set it down and picked up a coal car with a shiny new coat of black paint and delicate gold lettering. “I just finished restoring this one yesterday.”

“You are quite talented,” William commented, leaning down to examine the detailing on the car.

“Thank you,” Henry replied. Then he cleared his throat. “I’m sure you realize that I didn’t bring you down here just to admire my trains.”

William straightened. “Yes, sir.”

“Relax, son. This isn’t the Inquisition.”

William nodded, but he was unable to relax. This was a terrifying situation for him. The few previous times he’d met a date’s father, they’d always been suitably impressed by his pedigree and status, so it hadn’t required much effort on his part. However, Mr. Bennet, like his daughter, didn’t care at all about William’s job title or family name. William was very much out of his element.

“I understand I owe you a huge debt of gratitude,” Henry continued. “Lizzie inadvertently told me what you did for Lydia. As a father, there is nothing worse than realizing you are powerless to rescue your child from immeasurable pain, and I certainly did not have the resources to do what you did. I don’t even know how to begin to thank you.”

“There’s no need to thank me,” William replied quickly. “I was happy to help.”

“Well, I know it must have cost quite a bit of money, and if you’re amenable to a payment plan, I am prepared to...”

William immediately cut him off. “There’s no need to repay me. Please don’t concern yourself with that, s-- Henry."

Henry gave William an assessing look. “Lizzie said you’d say that, and I’ll be frank, I’m relieved. But I have to ask: why? What was in it for you?”

William furrowed his brow in confusion. “I did not do it with the expectation of receiving something in return. I had had…. dealings… with Wickham in the past, and I let him walk away with minimal consequences. I should have done more to keep him from hurting other young women at the time, but I took the easy way out. I felt it was my duty to rectify my mistake.”

“So you did it because you felt you owed restitution?”

“To some degree, yes.”

Henry raised his eyebrows questioningly but said nothing.

William swallowed nervously. “To be honest, sir, my primary motivation was your daughter. I love Lizzie, and I could not stand by and watch her suffer when there was something I could do about it.”

“So you wanted to buy her love?”

“Absolutely not,” William said forcefully. “If things had gone according to plan, Lizzie would never have known of my involvement. I would have preferred to remain anonymous.”

“Again, I have to ask, why? What would you get from that?”

“The satisfaction of knowing Lizzie was happy,” William replied earnestly. “That was all I wanted.”

Henry looked at him skeptically, seeming to weigh the truth in his words. Despite his discomfort, William maintained eye contact and tried to keep his chin from retreating into his neck. Finally, Henry smiled. “Lizzie said you’d say something like that too.” He reached out and clapped William on the shoulder. “Sorry, son. While I typically trust Lizzie’s judgment, I found it very hard to believe anyone would act so selflessly. Especially after she and Lydia had both been taken in by Wickham’s dubious charm. I needed to hear it from you for myself.”

“I understand.”

“You seem like a good man, William,” Henry said matter-of-factly. He cleared his throat, weighing what to say next. “I've had the opportunity to meet a couple of Lizzie's previous boyfriends, and she's always accused me of being unfairly judgmental and disapproving of them. But my Lizzie is very special to me, and it was pretty clear that none of those men were worthy of her. I am quite pleased to see she’s finally found someone who may be.”

William knew his chin was practically fusing with his neck, but he was uncomfortable in the face of such undeserved praise. “Thank you, s--- Henry. I confess that I am not sure that I am worthy of your daughter, but I will endeavor to be."

"I'd say you're off to a good start," Henry said with an approving smile. Then he turned back to the shelf and picked up another car. “Now let me tell you about this beauty…”

*********

Lizzie finished cleaning up the dishes as quickly as possible and headed off in search of her boyfriend. She found him in the basement, chatting warmly with her father about his beloved trains. When the bottom stair let out its characteristic squeak, both men turned toward her. “Hey,” she greeted, carefully studying her boyfriend for any signs of distress. “What are you two up to down here?”

“Your father was just showing me his train collection,” William replied. “It’s quite fascinating.”

Lizzie came to stand by his side, wrapping an arm around his waist. “You don’t have to humor him, you know.”

William gave her a confused look. “No, it really is quite fascinating. For example, this one --”

Lizzie held up her hand to stop him. “Please. I’ve heard it all many times before.” She looked over at her father, who was smiling proudly. “What did you have to offer him to make him pretend he cared?”

Her father looked affronted. “Nothing! William just has good taste.”

“I would argue that, but I think I would end up indirectly insulting myself, and I refuse to give you the satisfaction,” Lizzie replied affectionately. She turned back to her boyfriend. “Are you ready to go, or did you want to keep looking at trains?”

William set down the car he had been examining. “No, we can go. Thank you, Mr. Bennet.” Lizzie’s father cleared his throat pointedly. “Sorry. Thank you, Henry.”

Lizzie raised her eyebrows at the exchange. She couldn't recall any of her or her sisters' previous boyfriends being given permission to call her father by his first name. She had no idea what had just happened down here, but apparently things had gone well.

“It was my pleasure, William. Come back anytime. It’s nice to finally have an interested audience,” Henry replied.

They all headed back upstairs, but it was another half hour before Lizzie and William were finally able to leave. Mrs. Bennet had to thank William again for the flowers, and try to foist more leftovers on them, and compliment William profusely, and make a few more comments about “what a blessing it was that Lizzie has found herself a good man”. Lizzie had expected at least some resistance to her leaving with William, but her mother didn’t even bat an eye when Lizzie came downstairs with a small overnight bag. It started to make more sense when Mrs. Bennet whispered, “You know I’ll love a grandbaby conceived before the wedding just as much,” into Lizzie’s ear as she hugged her daughter goodbye. Lizzie chose to focus on the fact that she could go spend the night with her boyfriend without having to lie or feel guilty rather than the fact that her mother was basically encouraging her to get pregnant with her boyfriend of approximately 24 hours.

As soon as they were outside, Lizzie tugged on William’s hand and pulled him in for a kiss. “Thank you,” she breathed, resting her forehead against his.

“I’m not sure what I’m being thanked for,” William replied softly, “but I’ll take kisses anytime.”

Lizzie smiled and kissed him again. “For all of that,” she said, gesturing vaguely toward the house.

William tucked an errant strand of hair behind her ear. “They’re your family,” he said. “They might be a little…”

“Energetic?” Lizzie offered.

William grimaced. “No, I am never using that word again. It only gets me in trouble.” Then he sobered. “They’re your family, and regardless of their... idiosyncrasies, they are an important and invaluable part of your life. Since I would also like to be a part of your life, they're important to me too, and I look forward to getting to know them better.”

Lizzie sighed contentedly and wrapped her arms around his waist, tucking her head against his chest. “I love you,” she murmured without thinking. She felt William’s whole body tense.

“What was that?” he asked softly.

Lizzie barely heard him through the panicked thoughts in her head.  _ Love? You love him? That’s such a big word. How could you just casually drop that without thinking?  _

William pressed a kiss to her forehead. “You don’t have to repeat it if you’re not ready. It’s okay, Lizzie.”

And just like that, all her doubts were chased away. Of course she loved him. How could she not love him?

Lizzie pulled back slightly so she could look him in the eye. “I love you, William Darcy.”

William raised one hand to cup her cheek. “I love you too, Lizzie Bennet.” He leaned forward and kissed her tenderly. She wrapped her arms around his neck and raised herself on tiptoe to press her lips more firmly against his. The movement pushed her body against his in a way that made both of them want more. Lizzie opened her lips and slipped her tongue in his mouth, groaning slightly when his tongue met hers. William slid his hands down her back to the waistband of her jeans. He kept one hand resting on her hip while the other slid under the hem of her shirt. Lizzie gasped at the feel of his warm hand on the bare skin of her back. “William,” she breathed, scraping her teeth across his lower lip. He groaned at that before abruptly pulling back.

“Not here,” he said. Lizzie blinked a few times to readjust to her surroundings and remembered they were still on her parents’ front lawn.

“Not here,” she agreed reluctantly. She leaned down to pick up her overnight bag, which she didn’t even remember dropping, and followed him to the car.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: I know absolutely nothing about trains or train collecting beyond what a 30 second Google search told me, so please forgive me for any liberties I may have taken.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fic is about to earn its M rating. Be warned, this chapter is pretty much completely smut. If you're not into smut, I promise you won't miss any important plot by skipping this chapter (not that most of this fic has much plot outside of just being complete fluff).

The ten-minute drive from the Bennet residence to Netherfield had never felt so long. William kept his right hand on her thigh, gently rubbing his thumb back and forth. It was a very small form of physical contact, but Lizzie had never felt anything so erotic. She traced patterns on the back of his hand with her fingertips, internally cursing every stop sign and intersection between her house and Netherfield.

William had barely put the car in park in the garage before Lizzie was lunging across the console to kiss him. His lips were just as frantic against hers as he maneuvered her onto his lap as best he could. She shifted her legs to straddle him and tunneled her fingers into his hair, plunging her tongue into his mouth. William moved his hands under her shirt and unclasped her bra. She pressed wet, open-mouthed kisses along his jawline before lightly sucking his earlobe into her mouth, and he groaned in response. He slid his hands along her ribcage and up under the cups of her bra, rubbing his thumbs across her nipples. The sensation made her gasp, and she arched her back and pushed her pelvis against his. He trailed a line of kisses down her neck, then attempted to nose her collar out of the way to continue across her collarbone. She lowered her hands to the hem of her shirt to pull it off… and promptly smacked her elbow on the window, hitting her funny bone.

“Shit,” she cursed, rubbing her elbow.

“Are you okay?” William asked, looking concerned.

Lizzie nodded. “I’m fine. Just remembering why I left making out in cars behind in high school.”

William’s lips twitched slightly in amusement. “Adulthood does have its perks, like having access to a giant, empty house with plenty of privacy.”

Lizzie shifted off of him and ungracefully flopped back into the passenger seat with a laugh. “Lead the way.”

She slung her overnight bag over her shoulder and followed William toward the door to the house. While he fumbled with his keys, she ran her hands down his back and tugged his shirt out of his pants. “Damn it,” he hissed as he dropped the keys to the floor. He quickly bent down to get them and shoved them in the lock while Lizzie slipped her hands under his shirt. As soon as the door shut behind them, William whirled around and pulled Lizzie against him, leaning down to capture her mouth again. Lizzie slid her hands between them and finished untucking his shirt, desperate to feel his bare skin under her fingers. William bent slightly to slide his hands under her thighs, and she wrapped her legs around his waist as he lifted her off the ground. They stumbled toward the couch. William set her down gently and settled over her, resuming his exploration of her neck with his tongue. When he reached the collar of her shirt, he sat back slightly, and Lizzie quickly pulled her shirt off and tossed it aside. William pulled her dangling bra down her arms and tossed it in the same general direction. He lowered his head to her breast, circling her nipple with his tongue while his hand fondled her other breast. Lizzie moaned and squirmed underneath him as he switched to her other breast. He kissed his way down her stomach while unbuttoning her jeans. Lizzie lifted her hips off the couch, and William pushed her jeans and panties down in one smooth motion. Then his mouth was against her core, his tongue teasing her clitoris. Lizzie buried her fingers in his hair as he continued using his tongue and teeth to drive her wild. When the motion of her hips against his mouth became more desperate, he slipped a finger inside her. Lizzie felt her orgasm building as he added a second finger, and she desperately rocked her hips against his hand trying to find release.

He raised his head and looked at her. “What do you need?” he asked, his voice husky.

Lizzie was way too preoccupied to form a coherent sentence, so she decided to just show him instead. She used her fingers to adjust the position of his thumb against her clitoris, and then pressed down. “I’m so close,” she gasped, raising one hand to play with her breast. William saw the motion and leaned back over her, sucking her other nipple into his mouth. He gently scraped his teeth across it, and that pushed her over the edge.

William removed his fingers from inside her and slid back up on top of her, kissing her tenderly. “You are so damn beautiful, Lizzie,” he murmured against her mouth.

“You are so damn clothed, William,” she replied, reaching between them to loosen his tie.

He huffed out a laugh before sitting back to give her better access. She raised herself to a sitting position and unbuttoned his shirt while he pulled off his tie. After she unbuckled his belt, he stood and made quick work of his pants and underwear. “Fuck, Will,” she breathed, taking in his naked form. “You’re pretty damn beautiful yourself.”

He smiled at her before sitting back down and pulling her toward him. Lizzie pushed him slightly, and he took the hint and settled back against the arm of the couch. She crawled over him and kissed him deeply, savoring the feeling of their bodies pressed together with no clothing between them. She moved her legs to straddle him, and they both moaned at the feel of his erection pressing against her. They rocked back and forth against each other a few times before he pulled back with a groan. “All my condoms are upstairs.”

Lizzie gave him a wicked smile. “Don’t worry, I’ve got us covered.” She climbed off of him and darted over to her overnight bag. She slid her hand into a small pocket on the inside and pulled out three condoms. She returned to the couch and held them out to William.

William raised an eyebrow. “Why are they neon colors?”

Lizzie shrugged. “I got them for free from an STD awareness booth on campus.”

He continued eyeing them suspiciously, so Lizzie dropped two on the floor and started opening the third. “It’s either this or you wait until we get all the way upstairs to your room and you dig out your own.” She rubbed herself against his erection again, taunting him.

“I don’t want to wait,” he conceded, and Lizzie quickly pulled the bright purple condom out of the package and rolled it down his length. He groaned at the contact, so Lizzie wrapped a hand around him and gave him a few strokes. He pushed into her hand a few times before grabbing her wrist to still her. “I’m not going to last very long if you keep that up, and I want to be inside you.”

Lizzie smiled. “I think that can be arranged.” She straddled him again and leaned down to kiss him. He slid his fingers into her hair and drove his tongue into her mouth, kissing her almost desperately. She rocked her hips against his, loving the sensation of his penis rubbing against her. Then she pushed herself to a seated position and lowered herself onto him.

“Lizzie…” William moaned when he was buried all the way inside her. Lizzie gave herself a minute to adjust before she started moving. William matched her rhythm, and the feel of his erection sliding in and out of her started another orgasm building. William reached up to play with Lizzie’s breasts as they picked up speed. Lizzie slid one hand between them and toyed with her clitoris, bringing herself closer to the edge. William’s moves became increasingly frantic until he finally came. His final desperate thrusts were enough to push Lizzie over the edge, and she climaxed again before collapsing onto his chest. 

William wrapped his arms around her. Once they both had a chance to catch their breath, he leaned down and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “Well, that was…”

“Decent enough?” Lizzie offered.

He chuckled against her hair. “I was going to say incredible, but I guess we have a difference of opinion.”

“I guess you’ll just have to work harder next time,” Lizzie teased, pressing a kiss to his chest.

William tightened his arms around her. “If there’s one thing I’m good at, it’s working hard.”

They stayed on the couch, unmoving, lazily exchanging kisses, until Lizzie shivered. “Are you cold?” William asked, rubbing his hands up and down her arms.

“A little.”

He gently moved her off of him and stood up. He held out his hand, and she slid her fingers into his and stood. She grabbed her overnight bag from the floor before following him to the stairs. He led them to the same bedroom he used last time they were here. Lizzie glanced around the room. It was larger than the bedroom she used, and the walls were a muted gray-blue color rather than shockingly purple. A king-size bed sat in the middle of the room. “I’m going to go clean up a little,” William said, gesturing to the attached bathroom. “Make yourself comfortable.”

Based on the position of the phone charger and book on the nightstand, Lizzie surmised that William had claimed the left side of the bed, closer to the bathroom. She moved to the right side of the bed and plugged in her phone. When William returned a few minutes later, she ducked into the bathroom for her nightly ablutions. She returned to the bedroom to find William seated on the side of the bed plugging in his phone. He smiled at her softly, and she grinned back. She padded around to her side of the bed and slid in, snuggling under the covers. William lay down next to her and moved close, settling an arm around her waist. “You’re warm,” she murmured appreciatively. 

In response, William just pulled her closer and kissed her head. “I love you, Lizzie Bennet.”

“Love you too,” she mumbled before comfortably drifting off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really can't believe so many of you are still reading this despite my absolutely unpredictable update schedule. Thank you so much.
> 
> (And please let me know if you've got any constructive criticism, especially on this chapter. I'm really not at all confident in my smut-writing abilities, so I'd love any advice on how to improve. In general though, I'm always open to suggestions for improvement. And of course, feel free to just write and tell me you love it - that's really great feedback too!)


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter and the next were initially one massive chapter, but it seemed a bit excessive. So I broke it in half, but I'm going to post them at the same time because they flow together. As an added benefit, this allows me to separate the smut from the not-smut in case that's something that's important to you. This is the not-smut chapter.

William had always been an early riser. He was not one to laze about in bed, especially not when there was work to be done. And as CEO of a digital media enterprise, there was always work to be done. In his prior relationships, he had never been tempted to stay in bed and cuddle in the morning. But when he woke up and saw Lizzie lying next to him, he was more than tempted.

Lizzie was curled away from him, the blankets clasped tightly against her chest. Her butt was pressed against his hip, and the ends of her auburn hair tickled his left shoulder. William rolled to his side and spooned her, draping one arm over her waist. Lizzie’s hand unconsciously drifted to his and yanked his arm towards her chest, tucking it against her with the other blankets. He chuckled softly and pressed a kiss to her shoulder, content to just lie there holding her. 

He was not sure how long he lay there before he dozed off, but Lizzie was still sound asleep and snuggled against him when he woke up again. He wanted to keep lying there holding her, but his bladder had other plans. Reluctantly, he disentangled his arm from hers. Lizzie made a soft sound of protest as he rolled away from her, flinging her arm behind her to try to grab him. For a moment, he wondered if she was awake, but her breathing remained slow and steady.

William softly tiptoed to the bathroom. When he padded back into the bedroom, Lizzie had rolled over toward him, one arm stretched across his side of the bed. He debated climbing back into bed with her, but when he squinted at his phone and saw that it was close to 8, he decided to try to get some work done. He had some calls he needed to make this morning to some investors on the East Coast, and William knew that at least one of them had a habit of stepping out to play golf in the afternoons regardless of the time of year. After dressing quietly, he put on his glasses and slipped down the hall to his makeshift office, where he grabbed a piece of paper and penned a quick note. He grabbed his laptop and headed for the stairs, detouring briefly into the bedroom to leave the note on his pillow.

He was sitting at the kitchen island, halfway through his last call, when Lizzie appeared. She gave him a sleepy smile before shuffling over to the coffeemaker. She was dressed simply in a faded gray t-shirt and navy blue sweatpants, her damp hair hanging loosely down her back. When she finished fixing her coffee, she turned to face him, leaning against the counter with the mug cradled in her hands. William didn’t even realize he was staring at her distractedly until he heard his investor ask if he was still there.

He cleared his throat and turned his attention back to his computer screen. “I apologize, Jim. Momentary distraction. As I was saying, the financial projections for this quarter are looking promising.” He read some numbers from the report on his screen before looking back at Lizzie. She gave him an amused look before taking a sip of her coffee.

On the other end of the phone, Jim was talking enthusiastically, and William tried to refocus on the call. He avoided looking at Lizzie while he answered some questions, and internally let out a sigh of relief when Jim mentioned needing to go pick up his granddaughter from preschool. He wrapped up the call as quickly as possible without being rude.

Lizzie was still leaning against the counter watching him. “Have I ever mentioned how incredibly attractive I find men in glasses?” she asked casually.

William leaned against the back of the barstool and closed his laptop. “Is that so?”

“Mhmm,” she replied, setting down her mug and walking toward him. “Glasses… ties… well-fitted business suits…” She stopped in front of him and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Throw in some sexy business language like ‘earnings statements’ and ‘quarterly projections’ and I’m totally lost.”

“I will keep that in mind,” he murmured as he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close for a kiss. Lizzie tilted her head to give him better access, and he slid his tongue into her mouth. She tasted of coffee and the vanilla creamer he bought yesterday morning, remembering how much she liked it when she and Jane were at Netherfield.

When they pulled apart a few minutes later, Lizzie kept her arms looped around his neck. “Hi,” she said with a broad smile.

He smiled back. “Good morning. How did you sleep?”

“Pretty well, actually. I was nice and warm until my boyfriend abandoned me this morning,” she said, toying with his tie.

Hearing her use the word “boyfriend” still gave him a little thrill. “Sounds like you need a better boyfriend.”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. I might forgive him. He’s pretty cute… and smart…. and sexy…” she said, punctuating her sentence with kisses that lingered a little longer each time. “Oh, and of course, rich,” she finished with a laugh.

He narrowed his eyes at her. He had noticed last night that she seemed to flinch when he touched her stomach, so on a hunch, he slid his hands under her shirt and started to tickle her sides. She yelped in surprise before bursting into laughter. Still laughing, she dropped her head against his shoulder in defeat. “Okay, okay, you win.”

He stilled his hands and moved them to rest on the small of her back. She lifted her head and grinned at him, and he smiled back. “What’s on the agenda for today, Lizzie Bennet?”

“I really need to do some work on my independent study project,” she said. “And I should probably start on editing the rest of the video from Sunday, since it takes me much longer than it takes Charlotte.” She looked up at him. “We got interrupted the other day and I never got a chance to ask. Are you sure you’re okay with me airing the footage from after you showed up?”

He nodded. “I’m not ashamed of anything that happened.” Then he smiled ruefully. “And it certainly paints me in a better light than the first time I confessed my feelings for you on video.”

She winced. “I’m sorry about that.”

“Lizzie, you have nothing to apologize for,” William assured her, cupping her chin in his palm and running a thumb across her cheek. “I deserved to be rejected.”

“Yeah, but I didn’t have to be so mean about it. Or air it on my video blog for thousands of strangers.”

William tilted her head up so he could look her in the eye. “Lizzie, you did nothing wrong. I’m the one who marched into your office and arrogantly assumed you would be thrilled by my declaration of love. You reacted appropriately based on the information you had at the time. You don’t need to keep apologizing for it.” She didn’t look convinced, so he pressed a reassuring kiss to her forehead. “You did nothing wrong,” he repeated.

She gave him a soft smile. “I love you.”

He smiled back. “I love you too.”

Lizzie turned her head and pressed a kiss into his palm. “Okay. Enough angst. First things first. Breakfast. I notice there’s not a lot here, other than the leftovers my mom gave us, coffee, and curiously, a new bottle of my favorite coffee creamer.” She smiled at him knowingly.

“I made a quick trip to the grocery store yesterday to get some essentials, but we will probably need to make a more thorough trip if we intend to spend much time here.”

“Considering the alternative is my parents’ house, I think we intend to spend a lot of time here,” she replied.

“Fair point.” He pulled her closer to him. “The privacy certainly has its advantages.”

“It certainly does,” she agreed, leaning forward to meet his lips with hers. After they exchanged a few kisses, she pulled back. “Okay. You need to stop distracting me.”

He gave her his best innocent look. “Distracting you?”

“Damn it. Why are you so damn irresistible?” she said before lunging forward and capturing his mouth with hers. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the slightly abrupt ending. There wasn't a great cut-point for this section, and like I said, if I didn't cut it the chapter was a bit long.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here comes the smut...

The kiss was hot and demanding, and William was more than willing to give her what she wanted. He plunged his hands under her shirt and took advantage of her braless state, cupping her breasts in his hands. Her hands were frantically undoing the buttons of his shirt. As soon as it was open, she slid her hands to his back, running her fingers along his spine. He worked one hand into her pants, rubbing along the front of her underwear and feeling her wetness. She moaned into his mouth before undoing his pants and reciprocating, stroking lightly along his penis. He stood, pushed down her pants and underwear, and lifted her onto the counter. As she gasped at the feeling of the cold marble on her bare skin, William circled her clitoris with his fingers before slipping two fingers inside her. He tore his lips from hers and pressed open-mouthed kisses along her jaw, finding a spot just below her ear that made her moan. She clutched at his back, digging her nails into his skin.

“Will,” she pleaded breathily. “Will, I want you inside me.”

She didn’t need to ask twice. He roughly shoved down his pants and underwear, kicking them off to the side. William leaned back in to kiss her, plunging his tongue into her mouth. She started to wrap her legs around him when he realized he didn’t have a condom. He was about to curse himself for leaving them upstairs when he remembered the extras Lizzie had dropped on the floor last night. He gently pushed her legs away and stepped back. “Be right back,” he said, dropping one more kiss on her lips. Grateful for Netherfield’s open floor plan but cursing its large size, he darted across the room to the couch and grabbed a bright orange condom off the floor. He rolled it on and headed back to Lizzie, who had pulled off her shirt and was leaning back on her hands. If he weren’t so eager to get inside her, he would have taken a moment to appreciate the view.

“You’re so beautiful,” he commented before pulling her up against him and kissing her deeply. She wrapped her legs around him and scooted to the edge of the counter. He lowered one hand to her, making sure she was still wet enough, before plunging his penis inside her in one fast stroke.

“Fuck,” she moaned, leaning back on her elbows to deepen the contact.

He grasped her hips to stabilize her before he started moving. It was hard and fast and rough, but Lizzie didn’t seem to mind, based on the way she was moaning in pleasure. “Fuck, Lizzie, you feel so fucking good,” he said, letting go of his usual filter.

“Oh God, yes,” she gasped in reply.

He knew he was not going to last long, so he let go of one hip and used his hand to touch her. “Harder,” she demanded, and he complied, grinding his thumb against her clitoris. She threw her head back and groaned. “Yes. Right there. Fuck. I’m so close, Will. Fuck.” He pressed his thumb down and held it against her clitoris, and she gasped as she came. The pulsing of her vaginal walls around him as she climaxed was enough to push him over the edge. Completely spent, he collapsed back onto the barstool. Lizzie was lying flat on the counter, her legs dangling off the edge. He pressed a gentle kiss to her knee and ran a hand up her calf.

After a minute or so, Lizzie pushed herself up on her elbows. She looked down at William, who was leaning against her thigh, eyes closed as he caught his breath. His hair was in complete disarray, his tie was dangling loosely off his neck, and his open shirt was sliding down one shoulder. She couldn’t help but laugh. “One of these days, maybe we’ll actually make it to a bed.”

William lifted his head and gave her a satisfied smile. “I’m not complaining.”

“Bing’s cleaning service might,” she joked.

“I’ll make sure they receive a very generous bonus this month,” he replied.

Lizzie sat up and slid off the counter. “You’re sweet,” she said, pressing a kiss to his temple.

“I can’t say that’s a very common word used to describe me.”

Lizzie leaned against him. “That’s because most people don’t know you like I do.”

William pointedly looked at their current state of undress. “I should hope not.”

“You could always change that. You do own a porn company now,” she teased.

“Adult video hosting service,” he corrected.

She rolled her eyes. “Aka a porn company.”

His lips twitched in amusement. “Perhaps.”

“My boyfriend, the pornographer,” she said proudly. “Just what my mother always wanted for me.”

“I was under the impression your mother’s only criteria were single and male.”

Lizzie smiled. “I think male’s negotiable too. She’s surprisingly open-minded for a Southern woman who considers marriage the ultimate achievement.”

“I suppose Lydia is the only daughter left who could test that theory,” William replied.

Lizzie raised her eyebrows. “You seem to be presuming a lot about the future of our relationship, Mr. Darcy.”

He instinctively stiffened. “I apologize if I went too far. I know we only just started dating, but I have never felt about anyone the way I feel about you, Lizzie Bennet. It is very difficult for me to imagine a future that does not include you in my life. However, I recognize that it is far too soon to be making such pronouncements, and I am sorry if I made you uncomfortable. I should not have assumed--”

Lizzie cut him off with a kiss. “Will, it’s okay. I was just teasing,” she said, running her hands down his arms reassuringly before linking their fingers. “You didn’t make me uncomfortable. Sure, by traditional relationship standards, day 3 of a relationship is way too early to be talking about long-term plans and potential marriage. But I think we can both agree that our relationship has never been very traditional. You don’t need to apologize. As long as you don’t get down on one knee with a ring in the near future, or even worse, let my mother hear you saying things like that, we’re good. Okay?”

He nodded, then looked at her curiously. “That’s the first time you’ve called me Will outside of sex.”

She flushed slightly. “Sorry. Is that okay? I probably should have asked--”

Now it was his turn to cut her off with a kiss. “I like Will,” he confessed. “I’ve always preferred William to any nicknames, but I like how Will sounds when you say it. It’s more… intimate.”

She linked her arm around his neck. “More intimate is good.”

“Very good,” he agreed before capturing her mouth in a kiss.

Lizzie broke the kiss, laughing. “Okay, enough of that. We need food.”

“Do we?” he murmured, running a hand slowly up her spine.

“Stop that,” she chastised, still laughing as she took a step back. “I need sustenance, Will.”

“Very well,” he said, standing. “Allow me a few moments to straighten up and get dressed, and then we can go get food.”

Lizzie looked at him speculatively. “I don’t know. This is a pretty good look for you.” She let her eyes drift further down his body. “The neon orange condom adds a nice touch.”

“Keep staring at me like that, and we won’t make it out for food after all,” he warned, feeling his penis starting to harden again under her gaze.

Lizzie scrunched up her face in thought, debating her options. “Damn it,” she said angrily as her stomach grumbled. “As much as I just want you, I really do need food.” 

She looked quite disappointed by this fact, so he took a step closer and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. “I’m not going anywhere, Lizzie,” he murmured softly. “We can pick up right here after we eat.”

She gave him a mischievous smile. “Right here?”

“Maybe not right here,” he conceded. “We could try using a bed. And condoms that aren’t fluorescently colored.”

“Oh, but the only one left is bright blue. Just think how well that would compliment your eyes,” Lizzie teased.

“If you’re thinking about how well the condom matches my eyes while we’re having sex, I must be doing something wrong. Perhaps I need to step up my game to ensure you are thoroughly distracted.”

Lizzie gave him a heated look before scrambling to pick up her scattered clothing. “Food,” she muttered to herself. “We’re going to need a lot of food.”


	11. Chapter 11

After enjoying a late breakfast at a nearby café, William and Lizzie drove to a grocery store to stock up on supplies. William had always hated grocery shopping. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d actually been in a grocery store, preferring to get his groceries delivered when he was at home. With Lizzie, though, the whole experience felt different. It was... fun. He loved the face she made as she carefully examined the prices of similar items before deciding which one to purchase. He loved that she spent two whole minutes trying to decide what cereal she wanted. He loved the way she talked to herself as she mentally planned out meals, and he loved the surprised look she gave him when he shared his own meal suggestions. He loved how after all her thoughtful deliberation, she didn’t hesitate to grab a pack of Oreos impulsively off a display.

In the checkout line, Lizzie brushed against him and pecked him on the cheek before slipping in front of the cart to start unloading groceries. It was all so comfortable and domestic, and William envisioned a future full of these little everyday moments with this incredible woman who somehow loved him back. He was snapped out of his reverie by the sight of Lizzie digging in her purse for her wallet, and he gently nudged her aside and slid his credit card into the card reader.

“Will, I can get this,” she protested.

“So can I,” he replied calmly, slipping his card back into his wallet and signing the electronic pad.

“Yes, but you got dinner last night and breakfast this morning,” Lizzie replied.

“I’m failing to see the problem,” William said. He smiled politely at the cashier and thanked them while Lizzie grabbed the cart.

“The problem is that I don’t want to be a freeloader,” she explained as they headed for the exit. “I know you have significantly more financial resources than I do, but I want to pull my own weight.”

“You’re a broke graduate student with no current income, and your family has been having financial difficulties. It doesn’t make sense for you to tap into your limited resources when I can easily afford to pay for things,” William replied as he unlocked the car. He turned to start loading groceries into the trunk, but froze when he saw Lizzie’s face. He couldn’t quite read her expression, but she looked angry and almost insulted. “What’s wrong?” he asked.

Lizzie started dropping grocery bags into the trunk with more force than necessary. “What’s wrong? Really, Will? Could you sound more arrogant right now?”

He pulled the bag containing a carton of eggs out of the cart before it got accidentally crushed by her angry movements. “I don’t understand. I just stated the truth,” he replied, setting the eggs gently on the back seat.

Lizzie slammed the trunk closed. “In the most demeaning way possible.”

William gave her a confused look. “I’m sorry, but I don’t understand what was demeaning about that.”

“You called me a broke graduate student and implied that I’m leeching off my poor impoverished parents because I’m too lazy to get a job!” she yelled.

William’s brow furrowed. “I never said you were lazy --”

Lizzie let out an incredulous laugh. “That’s the only part you want to contradict?”

“No, Lizzie, I --”

She shook her head. “Whatever, Will. Let’s just go back to Netherfield.” She stalked off to the cart return, leaving him staring after her.  _ What just happened?  _ he thought to himself, watching her give the cart a hard shove, causing it to smash against the railing around the cart return with a loud clanging noise.

The drive back to Netherfield was full of awkward tension. William was grateful for the first time that they were in Meryton and not San Francisco, since the lack of traffic kept the drive short. He pulled the car into the garage and looked over at Lizzie. Her eyes were closed, and she was wringing her hands in her lap. “Lizzie? Are you alright?”

She blinked open her eyes and he saw the telltale shimmer of tears. Guilt washed over him. “Lizzie, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you. I’m an insensitive fool. I apologize profusely --”

He broke off when she placed a hand on his arm. “Let’s bring in the groceries and then we can talk, okay?” Her voice was surprisingly calm, which should have comforted him but instead just made him more nervous.  _ Maybe she’s so calm because she realizes she doesn’t have to put up with you,  _ his anxiety whispered.  _ She figured out what a mistake this was, and she knows she can just walk away and be done with this. _

“Will?” she asked tentatively, her voice breaking into his thoughts. 

_ She’s still calling you Will,  _ the nicer part of his brain noted. “Sorry. Yes. Let’s get the groceries unloaded,” he replied, pressing the button to pop the trunk.

They carried in the groceries in silence. Lizzie started rifling through the bags and pulling out perishable items, and William carried them over to the fridge to store them. When that was done, he turned and looked over at her.

“You don’t need to retreat into lobster mode,” she said with a soft smile.

“I’m sorry, I --”

“Come on,” she interrupted quietly. She gently took his hand and led him over to the couch. When they were both seated, he opened his mouth to apologize again, but Lizzie put a finger on his lips to silence him. 

“I overreacted,” she began apologetically. “It’s a sensitive subject for me. Since I started college, my mother has constantly questioned why I’m studying such a ‘silly’ field. Going to graduate school instead of getting a job or finding a ‘nice husband to support me’ just amped up the criticism. When I turned down Ricky’s offer, and then Charlotte ended up taking it, it got even worse. I feel incredibly guilty about my selfish choice to continue my studies instead of contributing to the family financially, so when you said what you said, my brain translated it into the familiar criticism and jumped into defensive mode. I know that’s not what you meant, and I’m sorry for how I reacted.”

William tentatively reached out his hand toward her and was relieved when she laced her fingers into his. “I’m sorry, Lizzie. I was being insensitive. I should have listened and respected your position instead of arguing. Please forgive me. I will endeavor to do better in the future.”

“You will endeavor to do better in the future?” Lizzie repeated teasingly, then laughed. “God, you’re adorable.”

“Even when I’m acting like an agoraphobic lobster?”

She smiled. “Even then.” She leaned forward and kissed him gently.

William let out a sigh of relief and dropped his forehead to hers. “Just to clarify, you’re not breaking up with me?” he asked softly.

Lizzie abruptly pulled away. “Breaking up with you? Why would I break up with you?”

William averted his eyes, a heartbreakingly insecure look on his face. “I thought that… perhaps… you had realized your initial assessment of me was correct, that I am just an arrogant asshole who is completely unworthy of you.”

“Will, look at me,” Lizzie urged gently, cupping his face in her hands. He slowly lifted his chin and met her gaze. “William Darcy, you are the most incredible, thoughtful, generous, selfless person I have ever met. My initial assessment of you was driven by my own wounded pride and close-minded judgment. Nothing about it was correct. Nothing.” She slid her hands down his arms until she found his and then interlaced their fingers. “I know I said a lot of horrible things about you in the past, but I was wrong. So wrong. I love you, Will, and nothing you say or do is going to change that.”

Lizzie was relieved to see William’s face softening. “Nothing?” he repeated questioningly, the corners of his mouth twitching into a small smile.

“Okay. Almost nothing,” she amended. “If you somehow underwent a drastic personality change and became a violent criminal, I might not love you anymore. But other than that, nothing. Got it?”

William smiled. “Clear as day, Lizzie Bennet.”

She laughed softly at the repeated line from her birthday. “Good. Because we can both be quite opinionated at times, so I imagine we’ll find ourselves having other disagreements and arguments in the future. I don’t want you thinking I’m about to break up with you every time that happens. You’re stuck with me for the long haul.”

“I like the sound of that.” William leaned forward and they shared a kiss. Lizzie then lifted his arm and snuggled against his side, resting her head on his chest. William linked the fingers of his free hand with Lizzie’s and started gently rubbing his thumb across the back of her hand.

After a few minutes of comfortable silence, Lizzie spoke. “At the risk of unintentionally poking at sore spots again, I would like to revisit the finance conversation.”

William pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “I’m listening.”

“I know we have vastly different financial circumstances right now. You’re not wrong in your characterization of me as a broke graduate student. But I do have some savings from part-time jobs in the past and the occasional babysitting gig, and it’s really important to me that I contribute in some way. I don’t want to feel like some sort of kept woman taking advantage of her wealthy boyfriend.”

“You’re not taking advantage of me,” William replied immediately.

Lizzie shifted so she was sitting up and facing him again. “I know, but I don’t want people to think --”

“Who cares what other people think?” he interrupted. Lizzie glared at him. “Sorry. Listening,” he said, reminding himself.

“My mother makes it very clear to anyone who will listen that her greatest goal in life is to get her daughters married off to rich people who will take care of them. I know she means well, but it just makes us all look like gold-diggers trying to trap wealthy husbands. I don’t want to do anything that feeds into that narrative. Unfortunately, I fell in love with you --” Lizzie stopped when she saw his raised eyebrows “-- sorry, let me rephrase. I fell in love with you because of who you are, but unfortunately you also happen to be quite rich. Given that my mother will likely be crowing to everyone about the two wealthy men her eldest daughters have snagged, I want to do everything I can to distance myself from that. It probably sounds ridiculous to you, but it is really important to me that I am financially contributing to this relationship so nobody can accuse me of being with you for the monetary benefits.”

William considered her words before nodding slowly. “I can respect that,” he replied. “However, I don’t want you to wipe out your savings completely either. Perhaps we can reach an agreeable compromise?”

Lizzie’s mouth twitched at his phrasing. “What terms do you propose, Mr. Darcy?”

“We split the costs of any meals or activities if the cost is under $20 a person. Exceptions are made for special occasions such as your birthday or anniversaries, in which case I will bear the full cost. What are your thoughts, Ms. Bennet?”

“I agree with the overall concept. However, I move to increase the maximum split cost to $50 a person. I would like to remove anniversaries from the exception category, as they should follow the same rules as any other date. Finally, I propose an addendum, with a $20 limit on any gift you give me.”

“$30 a person and a $50 gift limit,” William countered.

Lizzie gave him an incredulous look. “You only went up $10 from your initial proposal for my expenses, but you gave yourself $30 more for gifts!”

“Do you have a counter-offer, Ms. Bennet?”

“We split the difference. $40 a person and $35 gift limit.”

“I will agree to that only if we exclude birthdays, anniversaries, and major holidays from the gift limit.”

“Define major holidays.”

“Christmas and Valentine’s Day.”

Lizzie rolled her eyes. “Fine.”

“Do we have a deal, Ms. Bennet?”

“We have a deal, Mr. Darcy,” Lizzie replied, holding out her hand for a handshake.

William clasped her hand in his and gave it a firm handshake, then tugged on her arm to pull her closer and kiss her. He felt her smile against his mouth as she kissed him back. He used one hand to cup the back of her neck and angled his head to deepen the kiss. Lizzie moaned softly before moving to straddle his lap. “You know what I’ve heard is really good?” she murmured as he kissed his way along her jawline. 

He hummed against her skin in question before sliding his mouth to the spot just below her ear. She moaned again and tilted her head to allow him better access. William licked the spot with his tongue and then grazed her earlobe with his teeth. Lizzie ground against him. “What have you heard?” he whispered as his hands slid under her shirt.

“Huh?” she muttered, momentarily lost in the feel of his hands cupping her breasts.

“You said you’d heard something is really good,” William murmured against her collarbone.

“Oh. Makeup sex. I’ve heard makeup sex is really good.” Lizzie reached behind herself to unclasp her bra, allowing him better access.

“Hm. I think we should find out,” William replied before capturing her mouth with his.


	12. Chapter 12

“Well, we’re officially 0/3 on the bed thing,” Lizzie said a short while later, sprawled across the couch feeling completely sated. “But that blue condom really does bring out your eyes.”

“I’ll keep that in mind the next time I go condom shopping,” William replied sardonically. “Which at the rate we’re going will be very soon, even though I just bought some yesterday.”

“About that…”

Lizzie’s awkward tone had William sitting up and opening his eyes. “Is something wrong?” he asked worriedly.

“No! I’m just awkward about this conversation.” He looked at her questioningly, and she took a deep breath before rapidly blurting, “I have an IUD because I get heavy periods, sorry, that’s probably TMI, but anyway I got an IUD about a year ago and I got tested, you know like STD tested, before I got it and everything came back negative and I haven’t been with anyone since so if you’ve been tested recently and don’t have any STDs we could skip condoms because the chances of pregnancy with an IUD are so so so low, I mean, not zero low but like low enough that I’m comfortable forgoing the condoms if you wanted.”

William blinked several times, clearly overwhelmed by Lizzie’s information dump. She could almost see the wheels turning in his head as he played back what she had just said.

“Sorry,” she said apologetically. “I can try to act like a 25-year-old adult and repeat that if you need me to.”

William shook his head. “I think I got it. You don’t have any STDs and you have an IUD, so we could theoretically stop using condoms once I get tested.”

Lizzie nodded. “If you haven’t already been tested, that is.”

“I’ve been tested in the past and have never had any STDs, but honestly it has been quite some time since I’ve been sexually active with anyone so I do not remember when my last test was. For your protection, I would feel much more comfortable sticking with the condoms until I get tested again. If my tests come back negative, I am fine with relying on your IUD for birth control as long as you are comfortable with that.”

“I’m comfortable with that,” she replied.

“If you change your mind, just let me know,” William said. “I don’t have a problem using condoms as well. Even the neon-colored ones.” He leaned over to give her a soft kiss before standing up and heading to the bathroom.

Lizzie was glad at least one of them could be a mature adult when discussing sexual health. Not that she was surprised. For all their issues with communication, William had never shied away from awkward or uncomfortable topics. He faced them with the same calm, steady demeanor as he approached everything else in his life. It gave her great confidence in their future together. As long as they could talk about the hard stuff, they would be able to get through anything.

“Hey, Will?” Lizzie called, twisting to see him over the back of the couch.

He turned back. “Yes?”

“I love you,” she said simply.

William’s whole face softened. “I love you too, Lizzie,” he replied with a tender smile. They grinned at each other for a minute before William turned and continued on his way to the bathroom. Lizzie admired the gorgeous view until he was out of sight, then flopped back on the couch and sighed contentedly.

This had turned out to be the best birthday week ever.

*****

The next afternoon, Lizzie sat at the desk in the purple guest room, attempting to finish editing the remaining footage from her birthday. William had retreated to his office for some conference calls. After struggling to focus downstairs, Lizzie had moved to her old guest room, hoping the familiar environment would help her concentrate. It hadn’t worked. Lizzie had a feeling the problem wasn’t the location so much as the video content. It was just too distracting. She found herself rewatching the same 5 minutes of footage over and over and over, studying every tiny change in William’s body language and facial expressions, looking for every subtle inflection in the tone of his voice, melting internally when he declared his love again, then getting lost in the memory of that first touch of his lips on hers…

She was startled back to the present by the sound of William’s voice at the door. “There you are. I’ve been looking for you to see if you were hungry.”

“Oh, I’m hungry all right,” Lizzie said suggestively, giving him a saucy grin.

“For lunch, Lizzie,” he clarified. “As much as I would like to satisfy your other hunger right now, I have a video conference in a half hour.”

“That sounds like plenty of time to me,” she replied, walking over to him and pressing her body against his.

William closed his eyes and took several deep breaths. “It wouldn’t leave me enough time to straighten up afterwards, and I don’t want to have a rumpled post-coital look for my meeting with my department heads. I don’t think they’d appreciate knowing the reason I’ve been neglecting their emails the past few days is because I’ve been otherwise engaged with my incredibly tempting girlfriend.”

“I suppose that’s reasonable,” Lizzie said with a sigh. She leaned up to give him a quick kiss before settling her arms loosely on his shoulders.

William looped his arms around her waist. “Can I request a rain check?”

Lizzie pretended to think about it. “Normally, I don’t allow rain checks. It’s in the fine print. But for you, I’ll make an exception.”

“How magnanimous,” William replied.

“Do I detect a hint of sarcasm?” Lizzie asked. “Maybe I should revoke the exception.”

William leaned in until his mouth was just a breath away. “I have a feeling I could convince you not to do that,” he whispered before giving her a soft kiss. Before Lizzie could deepen the kiss, he pulled away and started pressing gentle kisses to her face. Lizzie’s body trembled with anticipation. “I can be quite persuasive,” he murmured between kisses.

Lizzie let out a frustrated groan and closed her eyes, savoring the feeling of his lips on her skin. William continued planting lingering kisses along her jawline until he got back to her lips, and then he captured her mouth with his. Lizzie kissed him back passionately, but William broke the kiss before she could get too far.

“You’re a tease, William Darcy,” Lizzie complained.

William chucked softly and kissed her forehead. “Lunch?” he asked.

“Lunch,” Lizzie confirmed.

In the kitchen, William bent to peer in the fridge. “Leftovers or sandwiches?”

“Sandwiches,” Lizzie answered, grabbing a loaf of bread out of the cabinet. 

William set packages of sliced deli meats and cheese on the counter, then pulled a cutting board out of another cabinet. He quickly sliced some lettuce and tomato for their sandwiches, his movements comfortable and sure.

“I still can’t get over how good you are in the kitchen,” Lizzie commented, thinking back to the pasta dish he had made the previous night. William raised an eyebrow and looked at her, and she realized immediately that he was thinking of a far different kitchen experience. “I meant with food!” she clarified.

His lips quirked in amusement. “We haven’t tried any food play yet, but I’m open to the idea if you’re interested.”

Lizzie laughed and shook her head. “Get your mind out of the gutter. I meant I am surprised at how comfortable you seem to be cooking and preparing meals.”

William shrugged. “After our parents died, it was really important to me that Gigi and I have regular family dinners, just the two of us. I quickly realized that it would be far healthier for both of us if I learned to cook instead of constantly ordering takeout, so I took some classes and watched a lot of videos online.”

Lizzie moved to stand beside him and wrapped her arms around his waist. “You’re a really amazing person, William Darcy.”

William shifted uncomfortably, clearly not used to being praised. “I didn’t do anything special. It’s what anyone would have done in that situation.”

“No, it’s not. Very few people would take all that responsibility when they were, what, 21 years old?”

“20,” William corrected sheepishly, keeping his gaze fixated on the sandwiches he was assembling.

“20, then. You were barely an adult yourself, but you stepped up and took over Pemberley while raising your little sister, all while dealing with the loss of your parents. That’s incredible, Will.”

Lizzie could see William’s chin retreating into his neck, a sure sign that he was feeling awkward. “Gigi was 14. It’s not like I was having to care for an infant or something.”

Lizzie cupped his cheek and gently turned him to face her. “I’m going to drop this because I can tell it’s making you uncomfortable, but no matter how much you try to minimize what you did, I think it’s incredible.  _ You’re  _ incredible, William Darcy.”

William leaned down and gave her a quick kiss before picking up the plates with the sandwiches. Lizzie grabbed glasses and filled them with water and met him on the other side of the kitchen island. They ate their sandwiches in silence. When they were finished, Lizzie carried their plates to the sink. “Oh, before I forget, my mother is requesting-slash-demanding our presence at dinner again tonight. Is that okay with you?”

“Of course,” William replied. “Unless you want me to have a conflict so you can have an excuse to get out of it.”

“You’re so good to me,” Lizzie said appreciatively. “But it’s okay. I could use the opportunity to pick up some more clothes. Plus, I should film an intro for my next video, and all my equipment is still in the den.”

“Okay. What time?”

“I’m assuming 6, but I’ll double check.” Lizzie glanced over at the clock on the stove. “You should go. You don’t want to be late for your meeting.”

William stood and came to join her by the sink. He pulled her into his arms and gave her a long kiss. “Just reminding you of our appointment afterwards, where I intend to cash in on that rain check.”

“I look forward to it,” Lizzie breathed. William made his way upstairs, and Lizzie rinsed their dishes and put them in the dishwasher before doing the same. 

Two hours later, she had finally finished tweaking the lighting and coloring on the video from her birthday, after deciding she wasn’t going to cut any footage out. She looked up when William appeared at the door. “Hey, you. How’d the meeting go?”

William didn’t answer. Instead, he crossed the room, pulled her out of her chair, and wrapped her in a tight hug.

“Will?” she asked worriedly. “What’s wrong?”

He pulled back just far enough to see her, but kept his arms firmly secured around her waist. “I watched your last video. I had forgotten about it, since I didn’t need to watch the videos anymore as my only connection to you. You mentioned filming an intro for your next video tonight, and my curiosity got the better of me, so when my meeting was over, I watched your last video.”

“Okay…?” she replied, still confused.

“You thought I was giving you the brush off,” William said.

“Yes, but clearly, you weren’t, because…” She broke off and gestured between them.

William didn’t seem reassured by her casual tone. “I’m so sorry, Lizzie. I didn’t think about how you would perceive my lack of response. I should have at least acknowledged your call before I flew out here so you knew I wasn’t brushing you off.”

“You don’t need to apologize, Will. I’m certainly not upset with how things turned out.”

William still looked apologetic. “I hurt you.”

Lizzie scoffed. “You say that like I didn’t hurt you. Repeatedly. On video. To thousands of viewers.”

“That’s different,” William said dismissively.

“How?”

“You didn’t know me. You didn’t have enough information to realize that would hurt me.”

“I don’t think I needed to know you to realize that calling you all the horrible things I called you would hurt you. They would hurt any human being.”

“Yes, but you didn’t think I was a human being,” he excused.

“You say that like it makes it better, when really it just makes it worse.”

“That’s in the past, Lizzie. You’ve already apologized for it, even though that was unnecessary. However, my error was inexcusable. It should have been obvious to me how my inaction would make you feel.”

“Inexcusable?” Lizzie echoed. “I think you’re being a little dramatic. Not immediately returning a phone call is not some heinous sin. And it’s certainly not on par with any of the things I’ve said or done to you.”

“Yes, but as I’ve said--” William started, but he was interrupted as Lizzie started to laugh. He raised an eyebrow questioningly.

“Sorry,” she apologized. “I just realized how ridiculous we sound right now. I mean, we’re arguing over why we each think the other is more deserving of an apology.”

William gave her a small smile. “When you put it that way, it does sound rather absurd.”

“How about instead of wasting more time on this silliness, we agree to stop apologizing for whatever perceived mistakes we think we made in the past?” Lizzie suggested.

William tightened his arms around her. “I can agree to that. However, it does raise a new problem.”

Lizzie tilted her head in confusion. “What’s that?”

“How else should we occupy our time until dinner?”

“Oh, I think we can figure out something,” Lizzie replied, linking her arms around his neck and pressing her body against his. “After all, I believe I owe you a raincheck…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really don't know how I feel about this chapter, but it's a chapter, so hopefully that's better than nothing.
> 
> I will warn that I'm basically at the end of what I had pre-written when I started posting, so I'm going to have to start actually writing from scratch again rather than editing material that already existed. So I apologize in advance if I slow down dramatically in the rate at which I'm posting, but I really will try to keep up with this fic because I know some of you are enjoying it for reasons I don't really understand and I don't want to leave you hanging.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter's for Ariana, who keeps leaving the sweetest comments that make my day and motivate me to keep writing.

Later that evening, William found himself back in the den at the Bennet residence, waiting while Lizzie set up her recording equipment. While he had made several appearances in her videos already, he’d never been there for the setup. He was enjoying the rare behind-the-scenes view, watching Lizzie finagle the lighting and adjust the camera angles like the professional she had become.

“What do you think?” Lizzie asked as she shifted on the bench to center herself in the frame.

“You look beautiful,” he answered.

Lizzie rolled her eyes. “I meant about the shot. Does everything look okay?”

“It looks beautiful,” William repeated.

Lizzie sighed. “That’s what I get for asking such a biased source.” She leaned forward and slightly tweaked the angle of one of the lights, then nodded in satisfaction. “So, Mr. CEO, how are your filming skills?”

“I can turn a camera on and off with the best of them,” William joked.

“Excellent. You’re hired,” Lizzie said with a smile. “Though I probably can’t actually afford your usual pay.”

William gave her a heated look. “I’m sure we can work out an alternate payment method.”

Lizzie grinned and blew him a kiss as he moved to stand behind the camera. “Okay. I’m ready whenever you are.”

“Do I get one of those neat clapboard things?” William asked.

Lizzie shook her head. “Sorry, we’re a low-budget operation.”

William sighed in mock disappointment. “So much for my directorial debut.”

“You’ll just have to make do without it.”

William turned the camera on and positioned his hands in front of the camera so that they resembled the shape of a clapboard. “Lizzie Bennet Diaries, Episode 98, Take 1. And action!” he said dramatically, bringing his top hand down to be parallel with his bottom hand.

It took three takes before Lizzie stopped laughing long enough to talk. It took another two for Lizzie to stop being distracted by how adorably amused her boyfriend looked. After a few more tries to get it right, she finally declared the footage satisfactory and started packing up her equipment.

“You’re quite the tease, Lizzie Bennet,” William commented.

“Yes, but you love me anyway,” Lizzie replied confidently, pressing a kiss to his cheek.

“That I do,” he agreed.

She smiled as she leaned in to kiss him. “I’m going to run upstairs and grab some more clothes. I’ll be back shortly.”

When Lizzie returned, she was surprised to see Lydia and William on the couch, staring at the TV.

“And this is supposed to be a date?” William asked, sounding confused.

“Yup!” Lydia said cheerily.

“But how are they supposed to get to know each other in such a large group setting?”

“Oh, the group dates are basically just for the drama,” Lydia explained. “I mean, sometimes there’s a competition and the winning team gets to spend extra time with the bachelor, but it’s mostly just an opportunity to get people to do ridiculous things.”

“I see,” William replied, looking just as confused as before.

Lizzie crossed the room and plopped onto the empty middle seat of the couch. “What are you watching?” she asked, settling against William’s arm.

William’s eyes remained fixed on the TV, but he lifted his arm to wrap it around Lizzie’s shoulders. “Lydia was just explaining  _ The Bachelor _ to me,” he replied.

“Oh, shut up already,” Lydia groaned at the TV as the show cut to a one-on-one interview with one of the women.

“We don’t like her because she’s very dramatic and rude,” William informed Lizzie.

Lizzie smiled affectionately, though William was too caught up in the TV show to notice. “Is that so?”

William nodded. “She and the brunette in the pink dress are… what did you call them, Lydia?”

"Frenemies,” Lydia supplied helpfully.

“Apparently they are both quite insincere in their dealings with one another,” William added.

Lydia started laughing. “Darceface, you are hilarious,” she finally said between laughs.

William’s face took on that bemused expression Lizzie found adorable. “I don’t understand what I said.”

Lydia looked over at him. “Seriously? ‘Quite insincere in their dealings with one another’? Who even says that?”

William stiffened slightly, and Lizzie was prepared to jump in on his behalf, but he surprised her by speaking first. “Let me rephrase.” He cleared his throat, then spoke an octave higher. “They’re like super-fake be-yotches.”

At this, both Lizzie and Lydia burst into laughter, and William’s lips quirked in a small smile. “That was a direct quote, by the way,” he added.

“Oh, I believe it,” Lizzie replied, still laughing. She stretched up and pressed a quick kiss to his mouth. “I love you so much,” she said quietly.

He returned her kiss. “I love you too,” he replied.

From her side of the couch, Lydia wiped a few tears from her eyes. “Like I said, Darceface. Hi-lar-i-ous.” Then she turned to Lizzie. “You should have him play me in costume theater from now on.”

William shook his head. “No, thank you. I’m retiring from costume theater.”

“But it would be so funny!” Lydia argued. “And I could play you!”

“No,” Lizzie and William said at the same time.

“You guys are no fun,” Lydia whined. Then she turned her attention back to the TV. “No! Don’t give her a rose!” she shouted.

Since William didn’t seem to be in any hurry to move, Lizzie settled against his side and grinned as two of her favorite people bonded over the unlikeliest of TV shows.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter is shorter than usual. Hopefully I can get another chapter up soon.
> 
> Thank you all for the support/comments/kudos! I really didn't expect much attention for my random self-indulgent fic on a web series that came out 8 years ago, but you've all been so sweet.


	14. Chapter 14

Thursday morning started much like the two previous mornings. William woke up, snuggled with his still-sleeping girlfriend for a little while, and then went to do some work on his laptop. He was reviewing a report on the latest progress for the Domino app when a notification popped up telling him he had three new emails, none of which were from addresses he recognized. He ignored them and continued reading when another notification popped up, informing him of five new emails. He had barely dismissed the notification when he received yet another, informing him of the arrival of four more messages. As the CEO, he was used to receiving a large volume of emails over the course of the day, but receiving… according to the notifications, he was up to 16 new emails… in just a few minutes was unprecedented. Frowning in concern, he switched over to his email application, wondering if the spam filters were experiencing technical difficulties. He picked up his phone with the intention of calling IT, then stopped when he skimmed through the previews.

_ From: enigmatickitten235@yahoo.com _

_ Subject: Squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee _

_ OMG you two are the cutest and I can’t.... _

_ From: feistymusician3@gmail.com _

_ Subject: You and Lizzie _

_ Dear Mr. Darcy, I was happy to see…  _

_ From: dtb8989@gmail.com  _

_ Subject: [no subject] _

_ You are the sexiest man alive and if…  _

_ From: lbdlover4eva@yahoo.com  _

_ Subject: Lizzie Bennet is precious _

_ I swear to God if you ever hurt her… _

William glanced down at the time on his computer. 9:08 AM, which meant Lizzie’s video was officially live, which very much explained where all the emails were coming from. 

As he watched the number of emails flooding his inbox continue to grow rapidly, his phone started ringing. He had a momentary panic -- his email he could understand, since it was publicly listed on the company website, but how had they gotten his cell phone number? -- until he saw that it was Fitz.

William wasn’t even able to get a greeting out before Fitz was talking. “Darcy, man, what the hell? You slink out of town with no warning, get me to cover a bunch of boring meetings for you, and then don’t even bother to tell me that it’s because you got together with Lizzie B?”

William cleared his throat. “Sorry, Fitz, I should have…”

“You damn well should have told me,” Fitz interrupted. “You’ve been madly in love with this girl for at least six months, and I stood by and supported you through heartbreak, and Gigi D and I did everything we could to get you guys together, and this is how you thank me? By letting me find out via  _ video  _ like everyone else on the Internet?”

William waited a moment to see if Fitz had more to say, but Fitz remained silent. “I apologize, Fitz. I have been quite distracted these last few days--”

“ _ Distracted _ , huh? Is that what the kids are calling it these days?” Fitz interjected teasingly.

William smiled to himself, but refrained from responding. “As I was saying, I have been quite distracted these last few days, but that is no excuse for failing to update you on the situation. I do appreciate everything you have done for me over the last six months, and I apologize that my actions have not fully reflected the depth of my gratitude.”

“Okay, okay, I forgive you,” Fitz replied, any hints of anger gone from his voice. That was one of the things William appreciated most about Fitz: he never remained angry for long.

“Thank you,” William said. “And thank you for covering meetings for me this week at the last minute. I am in your debt.”

“Don’t sweat it, Darcy. After all, what are friends for if not to cover for you while you’re off playing hooky with your new girlfriend?” Fitz replied. “You’d do the same for me.”

“Without hesitation,” William said sincerely. “In fact, I believe I heard you and Brandon discussing a possible trip to Europe sometime later this year. I would be more than happy to cover your company responsibilities for several weeks so you could take a well-deserved vacation.”

“Oh, we will  _ definitely  _ be taking you up on that offer.” William could practically hear Fitz smiling through the phone. “And Darcy, man, I hope you know I’m really happy for you. Lizzie B is awesome, and you deserve the love of someone awesome.”

William’s lips quirked in amusement. “Gigi made a similar comment when she learned of our relationship earlier this week. If I didn’t know better, I would suspect you had compared notes on your response.”

“Gigi D knew and she didn’t tell me?” Fitz said, sounding outraged again. “Oh, that is  _ not cool _ . So much for Team FiGi.”

“Team what?” William asked.

Fitz either didn’t hear the question or chose to ignore it. “I’m going to go have some words with Gigi D. Talk to you later, Darcy. And don’t worry about rushing back to the office - we’ve got it all under control.”

William had just said goodbye and hung up when Lizzie appeared in the doorway of the office. “So… the video’s up,” she announced, crossing the room toward him.

“I’ve heard,” he replied in amusement, pushing the chair back from the desk to make room for her.

“I’m sorry. Has it been bad?” she asked sheepishly as she sat in his lap and curled into him.

He kissed the top of her head and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her against his chest. “No, nothing like that. Though I fear my email inbox is going to require extensive filtering.”

“If you think that’s bad, you should check your Twitter notifications. If they’re anything like mine, you’re going to be inundated.” She toyed with his tie silently for a minute before speaking again. “Any regrets about letting me air the footage?”

William tightened his arms around her. “No regrets at all. It’s a small price to pay for having you in my life.”

She sighed contentedly. “You’re too good to me.”

“No such thing,” he replied.

In response, she lifted her head away from its resting spot on his chest and pressed a kiss to his lips.

“Plus, the excitement will die down soon enough,” he added.

Lizzie threw her head back and laughed. “Oh, you sweet, naïve man. You are clearly not familiar with the passion and intensity of internet shippers.”

“Shippers?” he repeated questioningly.

She nodded. “It’s basically a group of people invested in and supportive of a particular relationship pairing. Like, if I said I shipped Bing and Jane, which I do, it would mean that I think they would make a good pair. And if I was particularly invested in it, I might find like-minded individuals who also shipped Bing and Jane, and we could discuss our excitement about their burgeoning relationship or speculate about their perfect, adorable future together.”

William pursed his lips in thought. “So there are people out there who ‘ship’ you and me together.”

Lizzie nodded. “A lot of them, actually. I’d say a pretty sizeable portion of my fanbase ships us.”

“So they have been speculating about the possibility of a relationship between us, and they are now excited because we are together,” he said, still processing this new information.

“Yup. There’s all sorts of gif sets of our interactions so far, and fan art, and fan fiction.” She grimaced. “I would highly recommend staying away from the latter. It is really, really weird to read fan fiction about yourself.”

William raised his eyebrows. He was familiar with fan fiction, had even read a story or two over the years, but he never considered that people might be writing fan fiction about  _ him _ . “That sounds… somewhat disturbing.”

“It kind of is,” Lizzie agreed. “And after today’s video, I’m sure we just added a ton of fuel to that fire.”

William considered this. “It looks like I’m going to be having a very interesting conversation with the IT department about how to aggressively add filtering rules to my inbox.”

“Sorry,” Lizzie apologized. “Still no regrets about the video?”

William leaned forward and captured her lips with his. “Still no regrets. You’re worth it, Lizzie Bennet.”

She kissed him back, a little more deeply. “Do you need to have that conversation with IT right now?” she murmured against his mouth.

He shook his head. “My inbox will survive.”

“Good,” she said, before pulling his head back down to hers.

*****

Lizzie flopped on the couch with a sigh of frustration. She had been enjoying a passionate make-out session with her boyfriend up until a few minutes ago, when his phone had interrupted them. Apparently her fans had flooded Pemberley Digital’s website since the video had been posted this morning, and the traffic had been more than the site could handle. So now William was preoccupied with a series of emergency meetings to try to get the site back up and running, which meant Lizzie was on her own for a while.

She pulled out her laptop and tried to focus her attention on her final independent study project, though she found herself constantly distracted by Twitter and Youtube comments. She’d turned off the notifications in anticipation of this reaction, but she couldn’t help herself from constantly going to the sites and looking at the comments anyway.

When her phone buzzed with a new text message, she jumped on the excuse to procrastinate. Apparently, she’d missed a few other texts earlier while she was otherwise occupied, because she had several new messages. She started with the first message.

_ Lydia: Damn, Lizzie. I knew you two had been pretty intense on Sunday, but that was some seriously hot kissing. _

_ Lydia: I don’t know if I should be proud or disturbed. _

**_Lizzie: Pick whichever option means we can terminate this conversation before I get really uncomfortable._ **

_ Lydia: You’re no fun, Lizzie. _

**_Lizzie: I know._ **

The next message was from Gigi.

_ Gigi: Hey! I’m sure you know that William told me about your relationship earlier in the week, but I realized today I never reached out to you directly to tell you how thrilled I am.  _

_ Gigi: I know I wasn’t exactly subtle in my support of this relationship, but I think you two are a really adorable couple and are really good together.  _

_ Gigi: And I’m really glad you changed your mind about my brother. He never said it to me, but I can tell he loves you a lot, and you make him so, so, so happy. So thank you. _

**_Lizzie: Aw, thank you, Gigi. That’s really sweet of you._ **

**_Lizzie: For the record, I love him a lot too, and he makes me very, very happy as well._ **

_ Gigi: :) :) :) :) :) :) _

She also had a similar string of messages from Fitz.

_ Fitz: Lizzie B! Saw the video this morning. I want to be mad at you for not telling me you guys got together, but I’m just so damn happy for you two. Darcy’s a lucky man, and I hope this means we’ll be seeing more of you in San Fran in the future. _

**_Lizzie: Thanks, Fitz. And I haven’t quite discussed that with Will yet, but I think there’s a distinct possibility of that._ **

**_Lizzie: Though I’d appreciate if you could keep that between us until I have a chance to talk to Will about future plans._ **

_ Fitz: Of course, Lizzie B. My lips are sealed. _

Lizzie rolled her eyes. There was a 90% chance he was already texting Gigi to tell her, but Lizzie hoped they’d at least keep it to themselves for a little bit.

Her fourth message was from an unexpected source.

_ Ricky Collins: Elizabeth! I wanted to offer my congratulations on the continued success of your video blog. It appears your content and format appeal to a large variety of viewers, which is quite an accomplishment. I hope you will seriously consider an offer to join Collins and Collins after your imminent graduation from your Masters program. I think you will find we have excellent facilities and resources for any burgeoning vlogger, and I am sure your experience and perspective would be invaluable to the continued success of our ventures. However, that is a topic we can discuss at a later point.  _

_ Ricky Collins: I am messaging you today with regards to your most recent video. I have surmised based on the content that you and William Darcy have begun a romantic relationship. While I must of course congratulate you on securing such an excellent romantic partner, I must warn you that my patron, Catherine de Bourgh, is unlikely to look favorably upon this relationship. The Fitzwilliam family, of whom William's late mother was a member, has a long and honorable legacy, as I'm sure you're aware. Catherine de Bourgh does not look kindly on individuals from less noble families who try to make connections with her prestigious family because of the understandable concern that these individuals may be exploiting those connections for personal and financial gain. As your friend, Elizabeth, I know you would never have such nefarious motives, but Ms. De Bourgh does not know you as I do. I would never presume to tell you what choices to make in your personal life, but I would urge you to consider whether it is wise to pursue a romantic entanglement with Mr. Darcy at the risk of alienating a media mogul and your potential future patroness, Catherine de Bourgh. _

Lizzie reread the messages twice in disbelief. On the one hand, she couldn’t believe Ricky Collins felt like he had any right to say something like that to her. On the other hand, it was so perfectly, quintessentially Ricky Collins, and she once again had a flash of embarrassment for her childhood self’s poor taste in playground spouses.

While she debated whether it was even worth replying, she opened the last unread message.

_ Charlotte: So I take it Darcy had no objections to you airing the unedited footage from Sunday. Which means that your fandom is pretty much collectively losing their shit with excitement. _

**_Lizzie: Yeah… apparently their enthusiasm was so intense, it crashed Pemberley Digital’s website._ **

_ Charlotte: No way! That’s hysterical. _

_ Charlotte: How’s Darcy taking his newfound fame? _

**_Lizzie: He seems relatively unperturbed._ **

**_Lizzie: I apologized for it, but he just insisted it was worth it._ **

_ Charlotte: Aw, that’s sickeningly sweet. _

_ Charlotte: Emphasis on the sickening. _

**_Lizzie: Please, you’re just jealous._ **

_ Charlotte: You’re damn right I am. You’re in a relationship with a spectacularly perfect-for-you partner, and I haven’t even been on a date in… actually, I don’t even remember, it’s been so long. _

_ Charlotte: Between you and Jane, I feel a little left out of the whole love-fest. _

**_Lizzie: I’m sorry, Charlotte._ **

_ Charlotte: It’s fine, Lizzie. I’m so busy with work stuff anyway that I don’t really have time to go out and meet people right now. _

**_Lizzie: You could always meet people at work._ **

_ Charlotte: Like who, Ricky Collins? _

**_Lizzie: Sure, why not?_ **

_ Charlotte: Ew. 1) He’s engaged, 2) he’s Ricky Collins, 3) he’s *Ricky Collins*. _

**_Lizzie: Okay, but seriously, have you actually met his fiancee or seen any evidence that she exists? Because I’m still not convinced she does._ **

**_Lizzie: And speaking of Ricky Collins, he sent me the most absurd text messages this morning warning me that Catherine de Bourgh would not approve of my relationship with Will and suggesting that I reconsider._ **

_ Charlotte: OMG, he didn’t. _

**_Lizzie: I could not make this up if I tried._ **

_ Charlotte: You have to show me those texts. _

_ Charlotte: I’ll be back in town tomorrow if you wanted to grab lunch and make fun of him? _

_ Charlotte: Assuming you can pencil me in between all the amazing sex with your hot boyfriend. _

**_Lizzie: Lunch sounds good._ **

**_Lizzie: And I refuse to dignify the rest of that with a response._ **

_ Charlotte: Damn, so the sex really is amazing, isn’t it? _

Lizzie smiled. It was pretty amazing, actually. Not that she’d admit that to Charlotte.

_ Charlotte: Fine. Ignore me. _

_ Charlotte: I’ll just read it from your facial expression tomorrow. _

Lizzie wanted to protest, but Charlotte had always been able to read her way too well. It was the one downside of having a since-fetuses best friend.

**_Lizzie: Let me know what time works for you tomorrow. I don’t have any plans so I’m good whenever._ **

_ Charlotte: It’ll probably be around 1, but I’ll let you know for sure once I’m back from LA. _

_ Charlotte: I assume you’ll need a ride? _

**_Lizzie: Yes please. I’ll be at Netherfield._ **

_ Charlotte: I assumed so. See you then. _

**_Lizzie: See you tomorrow. Have a safe trip back!_ **

Putting her phone on the coffee table, Lizzie tiptoed down the hall to check if Will was free yet. All this talk of amazing sex had reminded her of their rude interruption. Unfortunately, she could hear him on the phone when she reached the office door, which meant she was still on her own.

Settling back on the couch, Lizzie pulled her laptop back towards her and hit refresh on her Youtube video, content to amuse herself watching her fans’ reactions to her newest video while she waited for her boyfriend to finish dealing with the consequences of her fans’ over-eager Internet usage.


End file.
